Thirteen
by Yaya The Elf
Summary: Thirteen padawans are destined to die in an act of revenge. They disappear without a trace, and the only way to know who has been chosen is if a replica doll of the padawan is found on their bed. Ahsoka Tano has been chosen as the thirteenth, and Anakin Skywalker must save her and the others before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer:_

_I do not own any original Star Wars character, from the movies to the books, nor do I own the actual Star Wars saga itself in anyway.  
_

_Special thanks to "anon" for the great story idea  
_

Chapter One

_Anakin Skywalker's POV_

The alarm I set in my clock signals, but I don't need it. I've been awake for hours, and I forgot to set it off, so when the shrill beeping suddenly starts, I jump. I shouldn't use alarms, anyway. They scare me. Maybe because ever since this war I've always been in battle mode, where alarms mean life or death. Yes, I should definitely stop using alarms.

At least it reminds me what time it is. I shut off the alarm, put down the little circuits and tools I was using to make another droid, something I enjoy doing in my free time, and walk out of my room. I give Artoo a little pat on his head, saying hello, and walk into my young padawan, Ahsoka's, room. She's sleeping on her bed, her hands shoved under her pillow and her covers draw tightly up around her neck, looking very peaceful. Instead of becoming one with the Force, she has become one with the bed.

The young woman looks so peaceful and comfortable that I don't want to wake her up; I want to let her continue her deep, peaceful slumber since I can almost never achieve it. Too many nightmares, and I wake to the slightest noise. But the Jedi Council will be waiting for us, and I'm not in the mood to listen to another boring lecture on how a proper Jedi must always be on time. I don't remember that in the Code (yes, I did memorize it). So I go over to her and shake her shoulder slightly.

"Ahsoka," I whisper, still shaking her should. "Ahsoka."

She makes an annoyed, please-let-me-rest noise.

"Come on, Snips, you have to wake up now," I say.

She opens her eyes slowly, looking at me with half shut eyes.

"Five more minutes," she says into her pillow.

"Nope," I say. "Rise and shine, you little monster. If you sleep any longer, the day will be over."

"Ugh," she rolls her eyes and goes onto her side, now facing the wall. "Why are you so strange in the mornings?"

"Why are you so cranky?" I ask her teasingly. Then I shake her shoulder some more. "Come on. You're like an animal coming out of hibernation."

She mumbles something, about my bathroom habits, I believe, or something of that sort.

"Huh?" I ask her.

"Nothing," she says.

"I just didn't hear you," I say.

"Whatever!" she lashes out suddenly. "Fine! I'll get up!"

"Thank you," I say, moving away from her as she lazily and very angrily gets up out of her bed. She shoots daggers at me with her eyes and walks out of the room, while I follow.

"Such a bundle of joy in the morning," I tease her, and she slams the bathroom door in my face.

I roll my eyes and chuckle at her stereotypical "teenager in the morning" demeanor, and go into the kitchen to make breakfast. I make myself a bowl of cereal, and decide to make one for Ahsoka as well, to lighten her mood. A few minutes later she comes out of the bathroom, still wearing her pajamas, and sits down next to me.

"The beast is finally out of her cave, I see," I tease her as she starts to eat her cereal.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to poke the animals?" she says flatly, giving me an annoyed look, but breaks into a smile and laughs, as so I.

"What day is it?" she asks me, still in a morning daze.

"It's the seventh," I say.

"Right," she says. "We have that meeting with the Council today. Any clue on what it's about?"

"When do they ever tell me anything?" I say. She gives me a slightly sad smile, because while I'm joking, she knows it's true. They never tell me anything. Not even when I deserve to know.

She yawns. "Dear Force," she curses. "How do you stay up all night? I think I might pass out."

"Years of practice," I say.

"I mean, it's like if there's no explosions or yelling, I'm out like a light," she says.

"Try not to fall asleep during the meeting," I say. "I don't want to look bad."

"Yes, I'm very grateful that you care more about what people think than my safety," Ahsoka jokes.

I give her a smirk.

I finish my bowl of cereal and go back into my own room and get dressed. After a few minutes I go back out, and see Ahsoka, now dressed, waiting for me to leave. We say goodbye to Artoo and silently walk to the Council. When I had first started my Jedi training with Obi-Wan when I was nine, I had used to think that the Jedi Council were always in the Council room, sitting in their chairs, day and night. Never leaving to go to pee or shower or eat, just sitting around, talking about boring things. It was like how other, non-Force sensitive children thought of their teachers. They have no lives.

The doors slide open to the Council, and Ahsoka and I walk in.

We both bow respectfully, as I say, "Hello, masters", while Ahsoka stays silent.

"Skywalker," Master Mace Windu nods at me. Then he looks and nods at Ahsoka, saying, "Tano."

"Good to see that you've actually come here on time," Master Shaak Ti says seriously.

"A bit early, actually," Obi-Wan gives me a smirk. He's actually the only one from the Council I've ever seen smile at me.

"So, why have you called us here?" I ask them. They frown at my impatience, and I sense that they believe the question to be rude. Great.

They choose to ignore it. "A few days ago," Master Windu says. The room goes dark, and I suspect a holo will show. "A padawan named Olee Starstone went missing a few days ago during a mission on Mon Calamari." A large, holographic image of a pretty young human girl shows up. She's around Ahsoka's age, I believe.

"We would have lead to believe that she simply died in battle," Windu says. "But her disappearance is almost exactly the same as 11 other disappearances of padawans."

"How so?" I ask.

"They all disappear during battle," Master Plo Koon joins in. "Not before or after, exactly during battle. Clones have reported to them disappearing into thin air, literally. And, always, before they do disappear, a small doll in found on their bed, a doll that is an exact replica of them."

"Strange," I comment.

"Very strange indeed," Obi-Wan replies.

"What are the names of the victims?" Ahsoka asks.

"Aya Nace," Obi-Wan lists. "Nee Mallik, Rye Nam, Noil Seires, Ele'la Sh'ker, Merico Asterc, Chiva Creena, Magsa Heper, Tito Alos, Violet Duer, Miro Kcehc, and now, Olee Starstone."

"Is there any sort of pattern in this?" I ask. "I mean, are they all of the same species or age group?"

"No," Master Shaak Ti says. "The youngest is 14, I believe, and the oldest is around your age, Master Skywalker. There are humans, twi'leks, wookies, and many other species. Not even their rank or lightsaber skill or Force powers are the same. They are very different, chosen at random, we believe."

"Chosen?" Ahsoka asks.

"Believe this not to be an accident, we do," Grand Master Yoda steps in.

"So, what should we do?" I ask. "Is there anyway to prevent this?"

"If we had found a way, we would have stopped it by now," Obi-Wan replies.

"But we do want you two to investigate," Master Windy says. "Go to the exact spot of where Olee Starstone was last seen, and try to find any clues. If you do end up finding anything, or even finding how to get to the padawans, contact us immediately."

For a split second, I think of the planet Mortis. Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and I had gone out to investigate, and ending up being sucked into a conflict between a "Force wielder" family called "The Ones", the Father and the Daughter versus the Son. It ended up badly. We were put into strange tests, looked down upon when we weren't necessary and ended up having them go on their knees whenever something went wrong. The Son played terrible tricks on our minds, especially mine, and Ahsoka and I had spells put on us to go to the dark side. After the whole ordeal, the Ones ended up being killed and we ended up more confused than ever. It was not the most pleasant time in my life, I'll tell you that.

"Yes, masters," Ahsoka and I say, nodding our heads.

"Leave tomorrow, you will," Master Yoda tells us. We bow respectfully and walk out after being dismissed.

Let's hope that this doesn't end like Mortis.


	2. Chapter 2

_So many wonderful reviews! Sorry for not updating for a while, I was at camp. Now my computer seems so big..._

_A/N: There will be changing perspectives in this chapter, so be on the lookout for that so you won't be confused.  
_

Chapter Two

_Ahsoka Tano's POV_

I put on my scuba gear alone in the girls' changing room. It's usually like this, for me, anyway. The men's room is always full of clones and sometimes Jedi, while it's usually just me here. I'm used to it. I like the privacy, anyway. I can't imagine how awkward it must be for my master to change clones in front of all those clones. Maybe he's used to it. Not me, though. Last time I came to Mon Calamari, I had to share a changing room with Padme Amidala. Luckily, Padme realized I wasn't comfortable, so she let me change first, alone. Thank the Force.

After I've changed, I go to the hangar where I'll get my life support gear and be shipped off into the deep blue. My master and the other men put on their helmets and air tanks; I find mine and follow suit.

"Ready?" Master asks me, giving me a lopsided grin.

"Ready when you are," I say, grabbing one of the devices that will help us go farther down into the deep.

"Remember your lightsabers," he nags me.

"I know, Master," I roll my eyes good-naturedly. "No need to remind me." Master grabs his own diving device, and orders the men to get ready.

"Try not to loose your helmet this time," I tease him. He half-heartedly rolls his eyes.

Our comms beep, signaling us to dive. Master and I go first, with our men trailing behind us. The devices quickly pull us down, not to quickly to physically hurt us, but fast enough to cause discomfort. At this speed, trailing down with underwater pressure hurts.

Once we reach our destination of 6o feet below, the clones start searching around for any clues.

"So, this is where Starstone was last seen?" I ask.

"Yes," Master nods. "There was a battle taking place here. According to Obi-Wan, Starstone was last seen…" he looks around, and then points to a coral reef. "There."

"And then she disappeared into thin air," I say, mainly to myself. "Wow. This is all so strange."

"Agreed," Master says. Then, he calls out to Clone Captain Rex. "Find anything?"

"No, sir," Rex says. "Nothing besides a few broken droids."

Master sighs, clearly annoyed. He's obviously not happy with being stuck with the boring mission, instead of some combat. I don't blame him.

"I going to go look around," I tell Master.

"Okay," he says. "Be careful."

I try inspecting the coral reef, the one where Starstone was last seen. Beautiful colors and creatures surround me, but nothing that will help me. Unless those rainbow-y fish used some sort of black magic to make Olee disappear, which I highly doubt. I glint catches my eye, though it only turns out to be a droid's finger. I triple check the reef after finding nothing, and every time, there is nothing helpful.

I sigh and check my air supply. A few more hours left. I wish I were running out, just so I would have something more productive to do. And so I'd have an excuse to stop looking. But, I continue to look, and check a few caves. I find nothing but rocks. This is getting annoying…

A growl. A deep, throaty, underwater filled growl. Instinctively, I grab my lightsabers and ignite them, turning around while doing so. A large eel blocks my way out of the latest cave I was checking out. I must be in his home, for he does not look happy so see me. I try to calm myself and think rationally. I should not try to attack or kill it, for eels are very dangerous and, often times, lethal. Going it is not an option, at least not a very good one. If I stay here, though, it will kill me.

I decide to try to go around it, and if it attacks me, then I'll use my lightsabers. There's a fifty-fifty chance of me being killed by the electricity it produces, but I'm willing to take that chance. I swim over towards the side of it, slowly. It growls at me some more. I keep calm as best as I can, for I know animals can sense fear, just like Force-sensitives. I'm almost to the side of it when my lightsaber hits a rock slightly. Provoked, the eel swipes its tail at me, and a huge electric current enters me, creating the most horrible burning sensation. I am knocked to the ground, and once the current dissolves I'm left with a terrible burnt skin feeling, one that I feel on my insides as well as on my outside. I gather my strength, grab my lightsabers and try to murder the creature, or at least scare it away, but it swipes me again. Pushed back, still full of electricity, my helmet hits a rock and brakes. My air turns to bubbles as my lungs fill with salty water. The eel finishes me off with a final blow, making everything go dark.

_Anakin Skywalker's POV_

I search around a pile of rocks, and look at again and again for any clues. Nothing. This mission is pointless, useless, and, most of all, boring. Of course the Council sent me on a mission like this. They obviously can't trust me with anything else. And when I come back empty handed, they'll scold me for not trying hard enough. It's like they _want _me to fail!

I sigh with relief when my comm beeps. At least I'll have something slightly more entertaining to do for a few seconds.

"Skywalker here," I say, pushing the button to answer.

"Anakin," I hear Obi-Wan's thick accent come through it. "It's Obi-Wan."

"Yes, Master?" I ask cautiously. He sounds urgent.

"The mission's off," he says. "At least for now. The important thing is to get Ahsoka _out of there."_

"What?" I ask. I can feel panic well up in me. "Why? What happened to her?"

"It's what _will _happen," he says.

"What is it?" I cry. Any attempts at me keeping calm have failed.

"Artoo found a doll-"

"Doll?"

"Yes. Artoo found a doll replica of Ahsoka on her bed. You have to get her _out of there."_

I don't answer.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan says urgently. "Get Ahsoka out! Where is she? Do you know?"

Where _is _Ahsoka?

I cut off Obi-Wan and try to contact my padawan. No answer. I try again. No answer.


	3. Chapter 3

_Yay! Reviews!_

_This chapter is so short... sorry about that... they'll get longer  
_

Chapter Three

_Ahsoka Tano's POV_

I don't know where I am when I wake up. I do know that my head hurts, my body has an achy numb all around it, and that's it hard to open my eyes. Once I do, however, the first things that I notice is that my lightsabers are gone. I panic for a quick second over that, but then I take a good look at where I am. I'm on a hard bed with no sheets or pillow, just a mattress, in a small room with no windows. The strangeness of the room and my lack of weaponry cause a slight panic.

The doors slide open. A strange, humanoid man comes in. He probably would have been considered human if not for a few traits. The outer corners of his eyes are tilted up slightly, and he has no pupils. His hair is light blue, though from dye or not, I cannot tell, and his ears are pointed.

"Where am I?" I demand.

"Don't worry," he says. His teeth are pointed. "It's just breakfast time."

This confuses me, though he ignores it and grabs my hand, leading me out. I snatch my hand from his grasp, but continue to follow him, cautiously. He leads me into a large, fancy dining room with lots of strange, very fancy food. Twelve children sit around the table, with one man, one of the weird humanoids, though with black hair, sitting at the head of the table.

There is only one empty chair.

"Hello!" the man with dark hair says. "Please, sit."

Cautiously, I take the remaining seat, one that is next to a pretty human girl with black curls and large blue eyes. One lock is braided down like a padawan braid… and then I recognize her. It _is _a padawan braid, and she _is _a padawan. Her name is Olee Starstone. And I have been chosen.

Adrenaline kicks in, and I'm deciding my next move when Olee gives me a reassuring look. The type of look Obi-Wan gives me when Master is giving me a hard time or when I'm loosing hope. I wonder… does Olee know what is happening? I want to ask, but somehow I feel as though that would cause trouble. I need to be able to think this through; I need to plan my escape. But I do feel slightly reassured.

"All right, my children," the male with dark hair says, breaking me from my thoughts. "You may eat, now that Padawan Tano has joined us." He gives us a pointed smile.  
None of the padawans eat. Instead, they look at the food with distrust, as do I. Who knows if this food is poisoned? Not even Olee eats, who seemed so certain that things would be fine a few seconds ago. She must know nothing about the situation we are in.

"Oh, don't worry," the dark haired man says. "It's not poisoned. See?" He takes a long gulp of a white liquid. "If this were poisoned, then I would be screwed!" He laughs, but he tells the truth. All of us must sense that he isn't lying, because everyone carefully takes bits of the strange food.

I look at the white liquid the man drank.

"What is that?" I blurt out.

"Milk," he says simply.

Milk? Milk does not look like that. "Why is it white?" I ask.

He shakes his head, telling me to just eat some food.

I carefully grab some sort of cookie and nibble on it, too nervous to eat. I want to blurt out, yell out, scream out, or do whatever I can and say, "_What is this place?" _but I force myself to have patience.

Eating still, I look around at the padawans. There are a few human boys and girls, and a few twi'leks. One wookie girl. A few Rodians. One female gungan and one Togruta boy. I do not recognize any of them, besides Olee, and even she barely counts, as I've never met her before this moment. In a way, I'm glad I do not know anyone, so no one I know will get hurt, but, in a way, this also saddens me.

No one talks.

"So," the humanoid man says, wiping his mouth. "I suppose you all are wondering who I am, and what you're doing here."

No one says anything, we just continue eating nervously.

"My name is Xero," he says, ignoring the silence. "X-E-R-O. Xero. Like the number zero, but with an X."

No answer.

"You are here," Xero says. "Because I need revenge."

"You want us to do something for you?" one twi'lek girl says after a pause.

"No," Xero says. "And yes. You see, I am the ruler of this proud planet." He smiles. "And sometimes, people don't listen to me. So I need them to put them back in their place. So they obey me. And, since I abducted you, _I _tell you what to do."

No answer. He waits for one, than sighs. "So nervous," he shakes his head. "You shouldn't be. Anyway, you're all going to be on a TV show! We'll film it, and then the next day it will premiere as an episode. And the finale… oh! That will be great! But I'm getting ahead of myself." He calms himself, obviously excited. "It will kind of be like a reality TV, survival-game show type of thing. You'll face challenges for a few days, I'll tell you what happens after that once those challenges are over, and you'll get a point each time you loose. And, whoever has the most points at the end of the day dies."

Everyone stops eating. Some people just look at him, shocked, while others, like myself, reach for our lightsabers that aren't there. It takes a while for things to sink in.

_"What?" _one dark haired human boy says.

"It's to keep my people in place!" Xero says. "To keep them entertained and distracted! So they won't revolt!"

"You're joking, right?" the Togruta boy asks.

"No," Xero says. "I'm not. And, while this is also for my people, it is mainly for me. Like I said before, it is for _revenge." _His eyes go cold. Without pupils, they look like coals. "Almost six months ago, three Jedi killed my beloved. Her name was simply… 'Daughter', but I loved her all the same. Yet she stayed on that blasted planet of Mortis! She claimed that she needed to stay there with her family, to protect the universe, so the 'balance' wouldn't go away. She loved the Force more than she loved me. It broke my heart… I could never get over her, though. And it broke my heart even more when I found out three Jedi helped her brother, the Son, _kill_ her!"

I freeze up at that comment. While the others look confused, I know exactly what he is talking about. Something my master, Obi-Wan and I swore we would never talk about. Those three Jedi were us. We were lured onto that planet, and we all caused the death of that family Xero was talking about. The Daughter's death was my fault especially… kind of. The Son put a spell on me to make me go to the Dark Side. Long story short, the Daughter was stabbed and I ended up almost dying, luckily for me, the Daughter's power was transported to me so I could live… making her actual death _technically _my fault. I notice how Xero looked at me while saying that the Jedi killed her.

"Ah, well!" he shakes his head, brightening. "Let us start our first challenge! Won't that be fun?"


	4. Chapter 4

_I promised a longer chapter, so I gave you an eight paged one... hee hee_

_A/N: There will be switching points of view in this chapter, so be on the lookout for that  
_

Chapter Four

_Ahsoka Tano's POV_

"Welcome, welcome!" a happy, high pitched voice squeals. "You thirteen padawans are so very lucky for being chosen! This is all _so _great! _You're _all _so _great! And, boy oh boy, you all are a unique bunch! I can see it now… blood and betrayal! Alliances and trust! Tears, screams, drama… _entertainment_ for our great planet of Persephone!"

The happiness of the voice brings chills down my spine. Acting like this is the Light Festival on Naboo, when all of us are going to meet certain death. Right now we are all sitting on benches on an aircraft that will take us to our first challenge. A voice started talking to us a while ago on how the next few days will be.

At the beginning on each day, we will all play childish games, like Musical Chairs, Traitor, or Ghosts in the Theater, and whoever wins the game will receive no point, and everyone else that looses will each receive one point for each time they loose a game. After a few hours of that, we'll be taken to the larger challenge, however, the voice only told us what the challenge would be like for today, so whatever happens tomorrow is unknown. There will be two teams; each team will be given a flag that we must protect. If the other team takes our flag back to their territory, we loose, each of us gaining one point. The person with the most points on the loosing team will be killed by a machine called "the sucker", which sucks out all the Midi-chlorians out of your body, until none are left and you are dead. The remaining people will be taken to separate rooms and will be forced to enter some sort of virtual reality, one that targets extreme fear or pain. I'm not exactly sure about the point about the virtual reality thing, but, then again, the whole thing is pretty pointless if you think about it.

The aircraft lands, and, while I am frightened and nervous, I remind myself not to show fear. Show no weakness, only strength, so you inspire others to act strong as well. None of us can afford to look weak in front of the cameras.

Men and women load us off the aircraft, obviously there to make sure none of us run off, and lead us into a large room. There are long, rectangular lights on the ceiling, and the floor and walls are empty and painted black. Xero waits for us, smiling.

"Hello, my children!" he beams.

We all keep quiet.

"Isn't this all so exciting?" he asks. "There are cameras all around you, right now, only you can't see them, so don't try to escape!" He guffaws good-naturedly. A few other padawans, including Olee, laugh nervously as well.

"Ah, well, we've had our laugh," Xero says. "But now we must start! Our first game will be 'Ghosts in the Theater', and the rules are simple. When I say 'stage left', you go left, and when I say 'stage right', you go right. 'Center stage' you go to the middle of the room, 'back stage' you go to the back of the room, and 'front stage' you walk towards me, which is the front of the room. When I say 'places, please', you all sit down and say 'thank you'. When I say 'death scene' you all go down to the floor and pretend to die, and when I say 'headshot' you all do a pose and give me your prettiest smile! Now, when I say 'ghosts in the theater', you must gasp, put your hands to your face and freeze. You cannot move until I say 'action', even if I give an order. If you do move, you're out and you get a point." Xero smiles and asks, "Understood?"

We nod.

"Great!" he says. "Let's start!" He calms a little. "Stage left," he says. We go left.

"Stage right," Xero says. We go right. "Center stage. Back stage. Places, please!"

"Thank you," we say, sitting down.

"Ghosts in the theater!" Xero exclaims. We all stand up, gasp and put our hands to our faces.

"Death scene," he says. No one moves. Xero smiles. "Action," he says. "Death scene." Everyone falls to the ground. "Front stage. Back stage. Places, please!"

"Thank you."

"Ghosts in the theater!" everyone gasps and does the pose as he says this.

Xero says, "Stage left." About four kids go left while the rest of us stay right. "Ah, ah!" Xero smiles. "I didn't say 'action'!"

"What?" a human girl with brown hair exclaims. "What?"

"You all get one point!" Xero says gleefully, clapping his hands.

"No, no…" the girl says. "No, that's fine. I don't want it."

"I'm afraid that's not how it works," Xero says. The human girl looks down and walks to the other side of the room with the other three.

The game continues for about 15 more minutes. I end up loosing when there are two other kids left, the Togruta boy, who actually seems like he is closer to Master's age, but has a boyish look to him, and a blond human girl, who is very peppy. The blond looses after that, with the final two it takes almost four minutes for her to crack, so the blond and I both gain one point while the Togruta boy gains nothing. The thing is, I don't think I would loose if gaining a point wouldn't result in my death. I think I could win, yet somehow, each time Xero says an order, you feel this rush of panic that you must do exactly what he says when he says it, that if you don't, you will literally die. And that results in your thoughts becoming rushed and muddled, and you slip up. I've always tried to keep a clear head, especially in the battlefield or in situations like this, but for some reason, this time it's harder. Because, probably, no matter how hard I try to win, someone will still end up dying, and in a way, I will have failed them. I wonder, is this how Master feels whenever I am close to death, or anyone else he is close to? Does he feel like if they die, he has failed? That he must always be the best so they can survive? If so, I wonder how he deals with that pressure all the time. I probably would have cracked long ago.

We continue playing Ghosts in the Theater for another hour and a half. I win three times, but gain seven more points. Each time I do so, I get a bigger and bigger feeling of dread welling up in my gut.

"Wasn't that fun?" Xero asks. Everyone stares at the floor. Every one of us has lost at least once. Another point results us being closer to death. That certainly doesn't really fit into most people's ideals of "fun".

"Now we shall start our first challenge!" Xero says, barely containing his excitement. I have a sudden, strange thought, yet somehow, for me, it reigns true. He is by far the most disturbed and evil man I have ever met. "Come, come! You'll be placed into your arena and separated into your groups!"

He excitedly gestures for us to follow and practically skips out the door. We timidly follow. We're taken back to the aircraft, and I think about how I might plan my escape. I could do it. There'd be around a 6o% chance of me failing, but that's also a 4o% chance of me succeeding. I'd run off, fight the men and women guarding us and run off. I could find another aircraft, steal it, I guess, and then go into hyperspace and find my way back to my own galaxy. I'd go get help for the others after that… but I can't. The men and women have already shut the aircraft's doors behind me. I've lost my chance. I'll try again tomorrow, maybe. If I'm still alive, that is.

I sit next to a twi'lek boy with blue skin. He can't be more than 14-years-old, and he looks scared out of his mind.

"Hi," I say to him, quietly, trying to make him more at ease.

"Hello," he stutters.

"My name's Ahsoka," I say.

"I know," he mumbles. Right. Of course he knows. Everyone in the Temple knows about the Chosen One and his padawan.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Merico Asterc," he says. I recognize the name from the Council meeting.

"Well, Merico," I say. "You shouldn't worry. Everything's going to be alright. I promise."

"It is?" he looks surprised. "How do you know?"

"Well…" I have no idea if everything will be okay. "I'm coming up with a plan to get out of here." Not exactly a lie, but from the way I've phrased it, I make it seem like I'm coming up with a plan to get _everyone _out.

"You are?" the brown haired human girl joins in.

"Uhm, yea," I say. "But it's a work in progress."

"Well, you better think quick," she says. "We don't have much time. Unless this plan of yours doesn't include everyone."

It actually only included me escaping, and _then _getting help, but after today, one of us will be dead, so it won't be as… heroic.

"I know," I say.

"My name's Violet," the brown haired girl says. "By the way. Violet Duer."

"Hi," I force a smile.

"If you want," Violet says. "I can help you out with that plan when we're in the arena."

"You don't even know if you'll be on the same team," Merico points out.

Violet doesn't say anything. She looks completely hopeless, as does Merico. In fact, everyone around me looks like that. I've never been in a place where hope was completely lost. I don't know what to say. I'll admit, I'm scared out of my mind, but I won't show it. I must make people believe that things will truly be okay. Not knowing what to say, I simply put my arms around both Violet and Merico, trying to comfort them. I can feel Merico shake with fear.

The aircraft lands, making Merico jump. The doors open and we're lead out of the aircraft and into the arena. It's a large forest, similar to the ones on Naboo, and there stands Xero (how is he everywhere at once?), nearby a jolly campfire. The sky is dark and littered with stars, making the "so-called" jolly campfire light up Xero's eyes in the spookiest way. He smiles. I shudder.

"Hello, hello!" he says. "Welcome, my children! It's time for your first competition… and, for one of you, your _only _competition!"

I feel a chill go down my spine.

"I shall now divide you up into your teams," he smiles, and his sharp teeth look like talons from the fire's light. "One of your teams will have one more player." Some people groan, obviously knowing that's not fair, not fair at all. "Oh, don't worry!" Xero says. "One of you will soon be gone, so the teams will be even tomorrow." That shuts everyone up.

"Team one," Xero takes out a piece of flimsy paper, the old fashioned kind. "Nee Mallik. Please go over there." He points over towards the opposite side of him. The gungan girl walks over there. "Rye Nam." A human boy with red hair. "Noil Seires." The Togruta boy, err, _man. _"Ele'la Sh'ker." The wookie girl. "Miro Kcehc." A Rodian boy. "Magsa Heper." A Rodian girl. "Tito Alos." A human boy with dark hair.

Xero says, "Team One will have seven players. Team Two will have six. Sorry, Team Two. Team One, please go find your flag. The rest of you, Team Two, you all may go to your flag."

Team Two, my team, walks over where Xero points. After a while for searching for our flag, we find it, and start our plan.

"Okay, guys," I say, immediately taking over automatically. "First, we need to know each others names. My name is Ahsoka Tano."

"My name is Olee Starstone," Olee says confidently.

"I'm Aya Nace!" the blond human smiles from ear to ear.

"I'm Merico Asterc," Merico mumbles.

"My name is Violet Duer," Violet says.

"Chiva Creena," says a twi'lek girl.

"Alright," I say. "Now-"

"Ah, what?" Merico suddenly says. "I'm the only boy!"

Chiva and Aya giggle. I roll my eyes, but let myself smile.

"Okay," I say. "Anyway. Here's the plan. It's very simple. We'll have two people here guarding the flag, with one other person farther up keeping look out, who will alert the people guarding that someone is coming. Two others will go to the front lines and distract the other team by pretending to try to get the flag, when really the last person will be going to get the flag quietly and quickly. Understood?"

They nod, not protesting that I've basically forced the job of being leader upon myself without taking any suggestions from the others. Oh, well.

"So, who wants to guard?" I ask. "We'll need to have two people that are very fast and good at combat."

"Combat?" Aya asks. "Are you sure? I don't think we'll be attacking each other."

"Just in case," Olee answers before I can. "Probably. I mean, in case someone starts to loose their head, right, Ahsoka?" She gives me a grin.

"Yea," I say. "Just in case. So, who's good at combat and running?"

Chiva raises her hand.

"Anyone else?" I ask.

"Me, I guess," Violet says.

"Okay," I say. "You guys will guard. Now, we'll need lookout. Who's a fast runner, I mean a _really _fast runner, and loud?"

"I'm fast," Merico says. "And kind of loud."

"Okay," I say. "You'll have to use a louder voice than that to alert Violet and Chiva, though." He nods. "Who wants to be the distraction?"

"I will," Olee raises her hand and smiles.

"You want to, Aya?" I ask the blond human.

"Not really," she says. "I'm not very good at combat."

"Okay," I shrug. "I can be the distraction. You'll be the person who gets the flag."

"Oh, no," Aya says. "I'm terrible at sneaking around. If I even _try _to sneak a cookie from the cookie jar, I'll break all the plates in the kitchen."

"Alright…" I say. "I'll get the flag."

"Okay!" Aya chirps.

"Everyone ready?" I ask. They nod. "You guys know what you're doing?" They nod some more. "Alright."

"We'll go this way," Olee gestures forward of us. "You should probably go in the trees or around."

"Okay," I say. "Merico, follow Olee and Aya for a while, then stop before you get in the other teams territory. Keep a close eye out."

"I will," Merico says. In the dark, he looks so tiny and fragile. I suddenly realize, if we loose, he could die.

"Alright," I say. "Let's go."

We start walking when Violet says, "You know, if we win, someone on the other team will die. That'll mean that we killed them… in a way."

My heart skips a beat at that. She's right. We will be responsible for another's death if we win this. I have no idea what to say at that.

"Try not to think of that," Olee says. Violet nods.

"May the Force be with you guys," Olee says before departing.

"May the Force be with you," we all whisper back to her.

I walk away from Olee, Aya, and Merico after a while. After walking for a little, on my far left I see the campfire Xero made. He is gone, but the fire remains, marking the territory line. Before I cross it, I take a deep breath, trying to clear my head. Dear Force, someone will die today. It may be because of me. Give me the strength to face that.

I cross the line; I see no one. So far so good. I creep behind the trees and hide behind bushes, walking carefully, going around twigs so I do not make a noise. Passing by a puddle, I suddenly wonder why I'm even bothering. Why fight? Why compete at all? Maybe because I wish to see at least a few more days if I can. Xero would probably just kill us all if we didn't do anything, after all. I continue my path… I can sense someone is near. To my left. It's a she… the gungan girl, Nee Mallik. Close by. I make my steps more careful and quiet. Can she sense that I am nearby? I close my eyes and try to concentrate. She's scared, I can feel it, but I don't think she knows I'm nearby. Blinded by fear. I peer behind a tree, and she stands with a large stick. I was correct, there will be combat. I hope Olee and Aya aren't hurt if all of Team One has thick sticks like that one.

A tree branch breaks. Nee looks around. Another breaks. Olee runs by where the noise was made, making herself very visible and obvious. Nee falls right for the trap. She runs after Olee, while I grin slightly and continue my quiet, stealthy path to the flag. I can hear Nee shout out to the other Ones with a thick gungan accent, "There'sa Two a comin'! There'sa Two a comin'!"

I find the Ones flag in a little opening between many trees. No one guards. Either they're all gone to get Olee, they've gone into our territory or they just didn't have the brains to guard the flag. Whatever. No one is around, and I sense no one near. I go for it and quietly take the flag. A huge feeling of dread wells up in me. If I take this back, someone on the One team will die. I hesitate before taking it away, and, in that moment, the Togruta man, Noil, spots me and yells, "Hey!"

I should have just ran when I could! I dash away from Noil as fast as I can, but he speeds after me. I may be small and quick, but he is older and a hell of a lot faster than I, so he catches up with me quickly. I look back, and his boyish face is twisted with anger and determination. I've seen that look many times from my own master, the look that used to make me pee my pants when I was 14. I yelp and try to go faster, but Noil grabs my shoulder and yanks me back, forcing me onto the ground. Before he can get onto me, I use the Force to push him away from me. I get up, but he leaps onto me, yanking on my lekku to try to get me to let go. This angers me. He's a Togruta himself; he should know how much that hurts. Feeling the intense pain, and fueled by anger, I use my elbow to stab him in the gut, forcing him to hunch over. I kick him in the face and, while he's going back, I use the Force to lift him into the air and knock him into a nearby tree. The guilt of using my anger will come later. I run away as fast as I can, and a human boy with dark hair, Tito Alos, I believe, runs after me with a large stick similar to the one Nee had. My hands start to sweat, but I force myself to have an iron grip on the flag. I can see the campfire straight ahead, marking the territory line. Faster, I must go faster!

"Hey!" Tito yells behind me. He sounds happy.

I suddenly see the Rodian boy, Miro Kcehc, run past the territory line with my teams flag. Merico, Chiva and Violet run after him, but stop when he crosses back to his territory. I stop running as well, and Team One starts cheering. My shoulders sag and I drop the flag onto the dirt floor. I shouldn't have hesitated when I had the flag. I should have run once I got it. I would have made it; I know that now. But it's too late.

Xero walks out of the shadows. Everyone stops cheering, and the others come out and see him and freeze up. Team One realizes what it means to win. Someone on the other team will die.

"Excellent work, Team One!" Xero claps his hands. Team One looks to the ground. "A wonderful effort from Team Two as well," Xero smiles at me. His smile isn't a happy one like he usually gives. It's cold and full of sharp teeth. He knows how it's my fault for the Daughter's death. And he will always remember.

"And you know what that means!" Xero brightens. "Each of you from Team Two gets one point!" We all wince. "Let's see," Xero pulls out a piece of old fashioned flimsy paper from his pocket. He reads it. "Ahsoka Tano, you now have nine points. Hmm, pretty good. Olee Starstone, you have ten. So does Chiva Creena. Aya Nace and Violet Duer, you both have eleven. Merico Asterc… you have twelve. You have the most." Xero grins. The fire has dimmed, making his face terrifying.

I feel my mouth go wide open with horror. Merico, the smallest one here. The youngest. He will die. I realize now, even if I had helped my team win or not, I still would have been responsible for someone's death.

"Alright," Xero says. "Merico, you will come with me. The rest of you, you will go back into the aircraft."

Men and women come out of the shadows and take us away. I look back over my shoulder. Merico's large eyes stare up at Xero with intense fear. Xero smiles.

_Merico Asterc's POV_

The aircraft flies up into the sky and leaves me alone with Xero.

"You've lost, little boy," Xero looses his smile. With the dying fire, his eyes look as black as the night sky.

"I know," I whisper.

"Because of that Togruta girl," he says. He glares down at me with hate.

"Well," I start to say.

"You know that she's the reason you're here?" he asks me, his voice full of pure hate. "It was her, her master Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi that killed the Daughter."

This shocks me. This can't be true. Ahsoka seems so nice. She would never…

"That's not true," I say. "You're lying."

"It's true," Xero says. "She went to the Dark Side and helped the Son, the Daughter's brother, kill her. What, she didn't tell you that?"

I shake my head.

"Did she seem even remotely sorry about that?" he asks.

No, she didn't. She didn't seem like she cared, or even remembered. I shake my head, feeling hot tears come to my eyes and a hard lump for in my throat.

"Well, son, it's time for you to go," Xero shrugs, almost smugly.

"No," I manage to choke out. "Please."

Xero stares down at me, sighs, shakes his head, and grabs my hand, pulling me back to another aircraft. Men and women handcuff me and guard me left and right the whole way back. My heart feels like it will explode. Once we land, they haul me off the aircraft and take me to a small room. There's a small chair, guarded by glass that splits the room in two. They place me onto the chair. Xero stares at me behind the glass.

"It's time, boy," he says coldly. "This is the sucking machine. Your Midi-chlorians will be mine now."

A machine comes out from the wall and mechanical arms strap my arms down and force needles into my arms.

"No," I say as it does so. "No… please, stop!"

"This button here," Xero holds up a small remote with one big red button, ignoring my cries. "Will start the sucking. You have a choice. Would you like to push it, or should I?"

"Please!" I start screaming, tears going down my face. "Please, stop! I promise! I'll do better! I promise! Just stop! Give me another chance!"

"Being difficult, huh?" Xero glares at me, coldly and blankly. "I guess you won't push it yourself then."

"I'm sorry!" I scream. "I'm sorry! If I could bring back the Daughter, I would! I really would! I'd… I'd help you! I'd help you run this TV show! I'd kill Ahsoka for you! Please, please! Stop! I don't want to go!"

Xero sighs and shakes his head.

"It was nice knowing you," he shrugs.

"No!" I yell.

He presses the button.


	5. Chapter 5

_I was meaning to update yesterday... but I finally got rid of my 3 week writer's block for the original fiction I'm making, so, you know..._

_A/N: Some parts of this chapter are based off the scene from Battle Royale where (spoilers!) Mitsuko kills Megumi.  
_

_ALSO! Many changing points of views in this chapter, so lookout for that  
_

Chapter Five

_Anakin Skywalker's POV_

"Find anything?" I ask Rex.

"No, sir," he shakes his head. "Just like the others, she disappeared into thin air."

I sigh, trying to release my anger in the healthiest way possible.

"Keep looking," I order.

"Sir," Rex says. "The men have been looking for hours and have found nothing. There's no evidence here, sir. I'm sorry, but I think this is all we could do."

"He's right, Anakin," Obi-Wan peers from behind me, putting his hand on my shoulder. "There's nothing here. We're wasting oxygen down here. It's time to go."

As much as I hate it, I know they're both right.

"Tell the men to come back in," I tell Rex. "It's time to go."

"Yes, sir," Rex nods and swims over to the men.

For the past 12 hours, I've been searching for Ahsoka high and low for any place she could be. We checked the last place she was spotted, the coral reef, and without success I had the men check everywhere else in a ten-mile radius. We found nothing. Ahsoka was gone, just like the twelve other padawans.

"Come on," Obi-Wan says. "Let's go back home."

We head out of the water and go back onto the ship, where we change and head home. Obi-Wan tells me not to worry, that maybe we'll find some more clues that will help us find Ahsoka and the others. To be honest, I could care less about the other twelve padawans. If Ahsoka is okay and back with me, everything will be fine.

Walking back into my headquarters, which I normally share with a certain padawan of mine, I say hi to Artoo and walk into my own room, sitting onto my bed. Sleep is not an option, how could I sleep when I know my padawan is lost? There's nothing else that can be done, I can't check maps or data files. And the knowing that I can't do anything to help her, that I'm completely helpless when it comes to her fate, makes me want to lash out in anger. I hate it when I have to sit back and helplessly watch. If someone I care about is in danger, I have to help them. It's up to me to save them, because whenever some I love is in trouble, no one seems to care. "Oh, it will be okay, Anakin." "Don't worry about it, Anakin." "It's the will of the Force, Anakin." Yea, right. It's always up to me to save them. They'd do it for me, and I can't break that trust I've formed with them by not helping them. Besides, it's my fault that Ahsoka's lost. I should've paid more attention to her. I should have never let her go alone. I should have never let her go on this mission, period. She'd tell me that I was being overly protective again. That I should trust her. That she would be okay. She would have been mad, but she'd still be with me right now.

Artoo comes into my room, nudges my knee and gives me a sad, low moan. I stroke his head. I've always wondered if he could actually feel it whenever I did that. I like it, anyway. Makes him seem more real, like he's a person and not a machine. Because, to me, his is.

He nudges my knee again, and gives me a beep. A sad one, but frantic. The type of beep he uses when he's sad but wants me to see something.

"What is it, buddy?" I ask him.

He gives me another, more frantic beep. One that I can understand. He's saying, "Come on. I have to show you something."

Artoo rolls out of the room, beeping at me to follow. I get up and humor him by following. He leads me into Ahsoka's room, and says, "There." A small rag doll sits on Ahsoka's bed. It looks just like her. Staring at it sends a wave of anger through me. I have no idea why Artoo would want me to see this, since he must know it would cause this anger, and I walk over to the bed and pick up the doll. Its pale blue eyes stare at me blankly, and its face masks a cheesy smile. My hands tighten around, so hard that the fabric starts to rip slightly, until I can't stand it and throw it across the room in a fit of anger.

"Why would you show me this?" I yell at Artoo. "What, do you like seeing me angry? Did you think it would cheer me up? Because _you thought wrong!"  
_Artoo lets out a sad, quiet moan. It makes me angrier.

"You can't expect to show me something that would OBVIOUSLY make me angry," I scream at the small droid. "Only to act all sad and innocent when you see me get mad! _What's the matter with you?"_

He backs up a little bit. He lets out a soft, "Sorry. I thought it would help you."

Staring at the small, blue droid, I feel my shoulders sag. I've misplaced my anger at the little guy, and now I've hurt his feelings. I should really be asking _myself_, "What's the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry, Artoo," I say quietly. I pause for a second, looking at the doll and then looking at Artoo. "How did you think it would help me?"

Artoo lets out a happier beep. "Well," he chirps. "I thought that maybe it would have some sort of clue that would help you find Ahsoka."

Never thought of that. It's worth a shot. Better than doing nothing.

"See?" I can almost hear Obi-Wan start to lecture me. "Anakin, you must think before you lash out. If you get angry, people will not help you."

Ugh, great. Now Obi-Wan's in my head. I tell him to leave me alone and then I focus on Artoo and the doll. Picking it up, I examine it.

"It's almost an exact replica…" I say, mainly to myself. "Except Ahsoka's face is _way _chubbier than this."

Artoo lets out a laugh whistle. I let myself smile.

"This doll… Artoo, have you ever seen it before?" I ask.

"No," he beeps.

"Well, if you haven't seen it before," I say. "And _I _haven't seen it before… how would it get here? Someone obviously had to put it on the bed."

"But no one did," Artoo beeps. "I was just here alone, and then I found the doll on the bed."

"Yea, you probably would have heard something," I nod. "Maybe there are clues inside the doll."

I sit down on Ahsoka's bed and open the doll up from small rip I created in the back. I see nothing but fluff in it. I take some out, still finding nothing. I continue until I take out all of the major fluffy organs from mini-Ahsoka.

"Find anything?" Artoo beeps.

"No," I say, throwing the limp doll onto the ground. "It's just a useless doll."

"Don't worry," Artoo beeps. "I'm sure you'll find something."

"I hope so, buddy," I say quietly, stroking Artoo's head.

_Ahsoka Tano's POV_

Taking us back onto the aircraft, the men and women guard us as we all hang our heads. I feel enormous guilt. Small, quiet little Merico will die because of me. Why did I make a plan to capture the other kids flag? Why didn't I make a plan to escape, like I said I would? Perhaps it would have worked. Perhaps Merico would still be with us. I make a promise to myself that I will come up with a plan. A good one; one that involves everyone. Not one where I escape and leave the others. One that will cause a revolt against Xero. And Merico will be our martyr.

The men and women haul us off the aircraft and lead us separately to our rooms, the ones we all must have woken up in. They push me into my small, dull room with only a mattress. I sit there for a few minutes, trying to come up with a plan. Any type of plan. How could we revolt? Perhaps during breakfast. That would be a good time. But how will I tell the others? I can't just walk out of my room and say, "Hey, let's go revolt during breakfast time". I'll be killed for sure, and so will they, and what good would that do? Or maybe I could-

"Hello, hello, my children!" Xero's voice comes out of nowhere, breaking me from I thoughts. I jump at his voice. "You're little friend, Merico, is not with you guys anymore. It's just the twelve of you now. And now, it's time for a fun, virtual reality! Remember, cameras are everywhere, and they _will _film you when you are in it, so try not to embarrass yourself. Have fun! It's starts… _now."_

My room starts to shift. It's goes up and down; the colors start blending and mixing together. I bite my tongue and hold my breath, trying to prepare myself for what will come. The mattress I sit on starts to disappear… it's not longer underneath me. The room starts to fade, and colors start to flash so much it makes my head hurt. I close my eyes so hard it's painful, and after a few moments I carefully peek open one of my eyes, and I'm no longer in my room. I'm on a boat, in fact. A small motorboat… I'm in the back, and I can feel the cold water splash my face and the wind tug on my skin. It's going quite fast… the sky is bleak and grey; almost looking like it will rain soon. The boat… it's being driven by…

"Master!" I call out.

He turns and looks back at me. "Yes?" he asks.

"Oh, uhm…" I say. It's so good to see him again… I'm actually afraid I might start crying.

"Are you okay?" he asks me, concerned.

"Oh, yea, fine," I say. "I was just… thinking out loud."

"You sure?" he asks.

"Yea," I nod my head. He shrugs and looks back at what's in front of us: nothing. The water looks black.

I shiver. It's cold out here. This virtual reality is very much like reality.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Don't you remember?" he gives me a look. "We have to meet up with Obi-Wan for the mission."

"Oh… right," I say. I have no idea what he's talking about. "How long till we get there?"

"About 12 more hours," he says. "So, we'll be here a while."

"Great," I mumble.

He looks up at the sky. "It's getting pretty dark out," he says. "We should probably get our rest." He presses a button, most likely that will captain the ship without him steering, and sits next to me.

"You cold?" he asks, noticing me shivering. I shrug. He takes off his cloak and wraps it around my shoulders.

"Oh, no, you don't need to do that," I protest.

"I'm fine," he says. "You're practically naked, anyway."

"Am not!" I say.

"Well, you are more clothed now," he teases. "When I first met you, you only were wearing a bra and a mini skirt."

"It wasn't a bra," I roll my eyes. He gives me a look, one that he uses when he's trying hard not to laugh. I start giggling and he laughs as well.

After a while, he puts his arm around me. I tense up, remembering I'm in a virtual reality that targets extreme fear or pain. He could do something bad to me.

"Relax," he says. "It's just for body heat, right? It's freezing out here."

"Yea," I say quietly. I scoot closer to him, trying to get warm.

After a while, my eyes start to get heavy. Sleepy, I lean my head against his chest, which he doesn't protest. He probably doesn't care. With the rocking motion of the boat against the waves, and the sound of his heartbeat in my ear, I start to close my eyes.

_Human hearts beat so slowly… _I think. _Or maybe it's just his…_

A few moments later, I'm asleep.

I don't know how long I sleep. But when I wake up, I find Master leaning against me, also asleep. I lazily open my eyes, and I can faintly make out an object coming towards us in the water… no. _We're _coming towards the object. My eyes flutter open, fully awake, and see a large rock right before us.

"Master!" I cry instinctively. His head bobs up, now fully awake, and sees the large rock in front of us. We're headed for it at top speed. He swears and gets up to the controls at the exact moment we collide with the rock.

Master is pushed back as we hit the large bolder. The boat, obviously not built for something as bad as this collision, is lifted up in the air and forced back, pushing Master and me into the water. The boat lands on top of us; I get the better part of it, a cushioned seat hits my head and pushes me down under the waves, but Master gets the worst. A sharp, metal part of the boat hits him hard on the head and pushes him deep under the waves. I can tell by how quickly he's sinking that he is unconscious.

Instinctively, I quickly swim down after him. I have no idea how deep the lake or ocean goes, but it's pretty far. All you can see is darkness. I catch up with him, grab him and swim up back to the surface. It's not easy, we're pretty far down and Master isn't exactly the lightest person in the universe. I pull him up by the wrists, and I can feel a pulse in his flesh hand. That's good. A pulse is good. But he's running out of air… and so am I.

By a stroke of luck and the will of the Force, I manage to make it up to the surface. My lungs will with air and water, as it has finally started raining… hard. I go back under, grab Master by the torso and lift him up to the surface, trying to get him to breathe. I could put him on part of the boat, one that's floating… where is it? I can't even find the rock, which I also could have used. I'm alone in an ocean storm of some sort, with no boat and an unconscious Master. I try waking him up by yelling his name and lightly slapping on his cheeks, but a wave comes, forcing us back under the waves. I force us back up. I check his pulse… nothing.

"No!" I scream. Then another, larger wave smacks my master's corpse and me back under the waves, this time farther. Master's body seems to be getting heavier… how is that possible? You'd think if a person died, they'd become limp and light… but he's starting to weigh a ton. The body starts dragging me down… I should just let go. My hands stuck! I can't let go of his arm! I try to force my head back up above the waves, trying to regain my breath, but another wave hits me, forcing me under and somehow making Master weigh even more. I can't let go… he starts dragging me under and I can't let go of his hand or carry him up, no matter how hard I try. Farther and farther down underneath the surface… so far down until my lungs burn. I can't take it anymore. I gasp for breath, but only meet water, not air, and salty water, indeed, this is an ocean, fills my weak lungs and I black out.

_Anakin Skywalker's POV_

I wake with a start. I hadn't realized I'd fallen asleep… I obviously did. There's a bad feeling in my gut… I can sense that something is happening to Ahsoka. Something bad… I sense pain. It hurts me to know that I can't do anything to stop it.

I sit up, which causes my back to start aching. I need to get a new mattress… wait, didn't I get a new one a month ago? And it was fine last night. Maybe I fell asleep on Ahsoka's. I wonder how she can sleep on this every night.

But I know that I'm not on her mattress. It feels like the cold, earth ground and… straw. Where am I? Looking around, I see nothing but darkness. It takes me a while for my eyes to adjust, and when they do, I find myself to be in… a barn? There are no animal noises, but judging from the straw everywhere and the various tools on the walls, I must be on a farm. Which is strange, because there are no farms on Coruscant… unless I'm not on Coruscant anymore.

I hear voices from outside the barn. They're hushed, but I can make out most of them.

"You sure someone's in there?" a female voice asks.

"Positive," a male voice says. "Mainly."

"How could you know?" the female asks.

"Well, I saw a flash of light," he says. "And it went over here. Even if no one is there, I'm still gonna check it out."

The woman says some inaudible.

"Daddy?" a young boy asks very loudly. "What's going on? Why are you outside?"

"Timber!" the man says. "Go back inside! Let Mommy and Daddy handle this."

"And lower your voice," the woman says. "You'll wake up your sister and Grandpa Paulo."

"But I want to help you!" the boy, Timber, says.

"Okay," the man says, quietly. "But lower your voice and be careful. We don't know what's in there."

The barn door starts opening, carefully, and the moonlight streams in, lighting up everything. I tense up, not sure how they will react to a stranger in their barn.

Once the barn door is fully open, the family gasps at the sight of me. I almost gasp at the sight of them as well. They're probably the weirdest looking humanoids I've ever seen. They look like normal humans, except their teeth and ears are pointed, the outer corners of their eyes are titled up and have no pupils, and they have strange hair colors. The woman has green hair and the boy named Timber has purple hair, though the man has normal blond hair.

"Who are you and why are you on my property?" the man asks. He holds a blaster.

"My name is Anakin Skywalker," I say carefully. "And I'm not really sure how I got here…"

"He's a human!" Timber screeches. "Daddy! That guy is a human!"

"Aw…" the man rolls his eyes and groans. "Why now?"

"Look," I hold up my hands. "I mean no harm! I'm just-"

"Kill it, Emiko!" the woman screams at the man. "Kill it!"

_It?_ Excuse me?

The man, Emiko, lifts up his blaster and shoots at me. Instinctively, I take out my lightsaber and deflect the blaster bolt. The family yelps at my lightsaber and jumps back, and unfortunately, the young boy named Timber jumps in front of the deflected blaster bolt and is hit in the heart. He dies instantly and falls to the ground.

I stand up, looking at the young boy's limp body with horror at what I've just done.

The woman goes down and shakes Timber's shoulder. When he doesn't respond, she starts screaming. Emiko stares at me, then my lightsaber, with horror.

"You're a Jedi!" he screeches. "A Jedi! I should've known! Jedi are killers!"

"I, I didn't… I didn't…" I try talking, but the words come out of my mouth all run together. How can explain to them I didn't mean to kill Timber? I obviously can't just say, "Sorry, when I used my lightsaber to deflect that blaster bolt, I didn't know it would hit your son in the heart. Can you please forgive my mistake?"

"You killed my son!" Emiko screams at me while his wife starts to weep. "You killed him!"

"I'm sorry!" I say.

Emiko starts shooting at me again. I deflect a few and as Emiko and his wife dodge to deflected bullets, I run out of the barn and away from the couple. Emiko chases after me while his wife goes into their house nearby, screaming at Grandpa Paulo and someone named Umi to wake up and call the authorities. Emiko is catching up to me, but seems to be running out of blaster bolts, because the shooting becomes less and less frequent until they finally stop. I'm thinking that I might make it out of here when Emiko throws his blaster at me, hitting me hard in the back. I grunt, look back, and while I'm distracted I slam into a large, cold old-fashioned tractor. I bang my head against it, fall back, and Emiko pins me down onto the ground, twisting my arms painfully behind my back and forcing my lightsaber out of my hands.

"I got him!" Emiko yells. "I got him!"

I try to squirm out of his grasp, but either these humanoids are very strong or this Emiko is much stronger than he looks because I can't break free.

"Ha!" I hear the woman laugh. "He ain't so tough."

I hear an old man cackle behind me as well. It must be that fellow named Grandpa Paulo.

"Jedi," Paulo remarks with disgust. "They act like they're all that until you have them on the floor."

"I hear ya," Emiko says. "Hey, Lanya, you called the cops yet?"

"No," the woman, Lanya says. "Hmm… hey, maybe when I do, the cops will take him to be on that new TV show."

"Which one?" Paulo asks.

"Pa, you remember," Lanya says. "The new reality TV one, the one with the 13 padawans."

I freeze up. The padawans were captured… to be in a _TV show? _What? While I'm confused at that, I'm also happy at the fact that I'm closer to being able to go rescue Ahsoka.

"Hey," I ask. "Those padawans. What will they be doing on that TV show you guys are talking about?"

"Don't know much about it," Lanya says. "But I do now that they all end up _dying!" _She chuckles.

"_AHSOKA'S GOING TO DIE ON TV?" _I scream with horror.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Paulo says. "Ahsoka Tano's your padawan, is she? That's hilarious!"

"I hear the show is going to be hysterical!" Emiko joins in. They all start guffawing, obviously forgetting that 13 children are going to die and that their son and grandson, Timber, is dead.

Them laughing at my horror, them forgetting about their own child, and them finding the deaths of children to be amusing and entertaining sends in a huge amount of rage inside me. In a fit of rage, I find strength from my anger to break free from Emiko's grasp, use to the Force to grab my lightsaber and shove the blade right into Emiko's stomach, killing him. Paulo and Lanya gasp, look at me with horror and run away from me. I lift them up in the air and Force choke them. They claw at the hand around their necks that isn't there, and choke out, "Please, stop! Please!" What cowards. Finding entertainment in death and then going down on their knees whenever they face it. I snap their necks with the Force, killing them both without remorse.

_Umi's (Lanya and Emiko's daughter) POV_

Underneath my desk in my bedroom, holding a small stun gun that my father always makes me keep near me when I sleep, I listen to the screams of my father, mother and little brother. After a few blaster shots, I hear Mom scream for Grandpa Paulo and me to call the cops. But I'm too scared to call the police. Grandpa Paulo can do that. I'll wait here, under my desk in my room with the lights off and the door shut. I hear more screams, which suddenly stop, making me jump. I've never been so scared in my entire life.

It's quiet for a few moments. All I can hear is my heartbeat… then I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. My heart starts racing even more. I clutch my stun gun close to me, thankful that Dad always told me to keep it near when I slept.

The door opens, and a figure holding the flashlight we keep in the living room comes in. I hold out my stun gun and start pulling the trigger, hoping to scare off the figure with the noise it makes. The figure moves the flashlight beam from side to side, trying to see where that noise is coming from.

"Who's there?" I demand, frightened. I continue to pull the trigger.

The flashlight beam goes onto me.

"Who's there I said!" I say a lot more confidently than I feel.

The figure takes the flashlight beam off of me and shines it underneath its face. A handsome human male, with intense blue eyes and a scar running down one of them.

"A human," I whisper with horror. Humans are dangerous. Mom and Dad always told me that, as did my teachers.

The human takes the beam from under his face and points it directly at me, blinding my eyes.

"Where you trying to kill me with that stun gun?" he asks, calmly. It sends chills down my spine.

"What?" I ask. "Oh, um, this? No… no! I would never…"

"Can I come in?" he asks.

Worried that he might attack me if I say no, I respond, "Okay."

He walks over to me and sits down next to me. "What's your name?" he asks.

"Umi," I whisper quietly.

"Umi?" he repeats.

"Yes."

"That's a pretty name," he smiles slightly. I put on a fake grin, still scared.

"Is that _your _weapon?" he asks, pointing to my stun gun.

"Oh, um, yes," I say nervously. "My father always told me that I should keep it near when I slept, in case something should happen. It's stupid… it's not even that good of a weapon…"

He snatches it from my hand and presses the trigger, making the stunning noise. "Oh, I don't know," he says. "It's pretty good. One shock to a person with a weak heart or a metal cybernetic in their brain and they're a goner, am I right?"

"I guess," I say quietly. I almost whisper, "Have you used one for that purpose before?"

He gives me a look and starts laughing. I laugh as well, feeling less nervous around him. Perhaps humans aren't as evil as everyone says.

Finishing our chuckle, he looks at me and says, "Umi, do you know anything about a new reality TV show? One with 13 padawans?"

"Yes," I nod. "I've heard of it."

"Do you know where it's located?" he asks.

"Pardon?"

"I mean," he explains. "Do you know where they shoot it?"

"I have no idea," I shrug. "No episodes have premiered yet, so I don't know many details."

"Really?" he asks, looking relieved. "They haven't?"

"Yes," I say. "I hear it's going to be really good!" I start to smile. "It's going to be really funny, too, with the padawans and all. Everyone knows that Jedi are actually morons! It will be too funny! And, best of all, one of them dies in each episode!" I start laughing at the thought of that. The human, however, doesn't look amused.

"You find that funny?" he asks.

"Of course!" I say. "Who wouldn't?" I start laughing again, but then I see the look in his eye. I pause for a quick second, and ask, "Don't you?"

He lunges for me with pure hate in his eyes. I bang against the desk, but manage to slip from his attack and go over to my bed.

"Please!" I cry. "Don't!"

He lunges for me again, and I keep running away from him, banging into walls and making a huge mess. I bang my knee against my chair to my desk, and he grabs me, yanks me down to the floor and pulls out a lightsaber, which he ignites and holds only a centimeter away from my neck.

"You see this?" he whispers in my ear. I start to whimper. He says, "This is _my _weapon. A lightsaber."

"You're a Jedi!" I say, tears forming in my eyes.

"That's right!" he says. "I am. I never really thought my lightsaber was all that… but right now, I'm thinking it's a pretty good weapon, don't you?"

I whimper, feeling the heat of the lightsaber near my neck.

"And you know your daddy?" he asks. "And your mommy and grandpa and little brother? I killed them. Yes, I killed them."

"No…" my voice quivers.

"Yep," he says. "Killed your brother by accident. Daddy was killed by my lightsaber, you know, this one? Mommy and Grandpa Paulo were killed by a simple Force choke. I'll never die like that, though. Neither will any of the other padawans, especially _my _padawan, Ahsoka Tano."

"Ahsoka Tano's your padawan?" I whisper in horror. While I don't know many details about the show yet, I do know the contestants, and I recognize the name.

"Yes, yes she is," he whispers in my ear. I feel a shiver go down my spine. "And she won't die, not if I can help it. None of them will." He raises his voice. "And if anyone lays a _hand _on _any of them…" _He starts to scream in my ear. "Then they will _pay! _ALL OF YOU WILL _PAY!"_

In a fit of anger, he slides the blade of the lightsaber across my neck, causing extreme heat and pain. I manage to choke out one last scream before the pain stops and everything goes away.


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, this chapter is insanely short. Sorry about that... but I liked it better like that, as a single chapter instead of being part of a bigger one (like the last chapter)_

Chapter Six

_Xero's POV_

It's around eight AM, the day after we've shot our first episode. The editing has been done, and as I watch it, I know it will be a very excellent pilot episode. Yes… there will be much entertainment for my people, and satisfaction for me. My lust for revenge is starting to be satisfied. A young man walks in, asking me if I was pleased with the episode. I tell him yes, and tell him to go take the tape containing the first episode and broadcast it on TV as soon as possible. He smiles, nods, and walks away with the tape.

A few minutes later, my secretary, Zila, walks in, looking slightly troubled.

"Yes, Zila?" I ask her.

"Sir," she says. "There has been a case of some sort of mass murder out on a farm house in Perfectos."

"Mass murder?" I ask. "Do we believe it to be a revolt?"

"We're not sure, sir," she says. "It was a family called the Doggerel's, containing an elder man named Paulo, a couple by the names of Emiko and Lanya, and their children, a fifteen year old girl named Umi and a seven year old boy named Timber."

"How did they die?" I ask.

"Well…" Zila looks nervous. "Three of them, Emiko, Umi and Timber, seemed to be killed by… lightsaber."

I raise my eyebrows at that.

"And the others," she adds quickly. "Were choked."

"Do we have any tapes containing the murders?" I ask.

"Emiko, Lanya, Paulo and Timber were all killed outside," she says. "So none of our secret security cameras caught anything. But we did, however, catch Umi's death. We believe the man who killed her to be a Jedi… sir."

"Show me the tape," I respond. Zila goes out of the room to fetch the tape, and then shows it to me on a large TV screen. I watch how the man, who looks familiar, makes casual conversation with the frightened girl, and then lashes out and kills her when she angers him. Zila looks disturbed by the tape. I barely react to it.

"That man…" I say, now recalling who he is. "I know him. He's Anakin Skywalker, one of the people who killed the Daughter and her family, and the master of Ahsoka Tano."

"Well, whoever he is," Zila responds. "He's a psychopath."

"Oh, no," I say. "Not at all. I believe psychopaths feel no remorse or empathy, am I correct? He definitely feels those things. Besides, I kind of like him, even while he helped kill the Daughter. He greatly reminds me of myself."

"Uh, yes, sir," Zila responds nervously. I chuckle at her fear.

"Who found the bodies?" I ask.

"A neighbor," she says. "Who lives about a hundred yards away. Heard their screams faintly, and went to check it out, but was too late. They were done. He called the police, though."

"Have the police kept quiet about this?" I ask.

"Yes, sir," she says.

"What about the neighbor?"

"He has not agreed to keeping quiet, sir. He was a close friend with the family."

"Well," I say. "I want this on the down load. If he opens his mouth, execute him at once."

"Yes, sir," she says. "But, may I ask, why do you want this to keep quiet, sir? And… aren't you going to have the authorities track this man down?"

"I'm keep it quiet for a surprise," I say. "And, no, the authorities _won't _be following around this young man."

"Surprise?" Zila's eyes widen under her round glasses. "You mean, _you're _the one who brought this man here?"

"Maybe I did," I say. "Maybe I didn't. Either way, it's none of your concern."

"Yes, sir," she says.

"I do, however, want someone to keep an eye on him," I say. I take out a small business card from my pocket and hand it to Zila. "This person is the best of the best, and more than willing to do what I say. Contact this person at once."

Zila looks down at the card, and then looks at me, saying, "Yes, sir."

Before leaving, she turns around and asks me, "If you don't mind me asking… what exactly is this surprise, sir?"

I smile.


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry about the late update... but I've been "busy" with looking up information about the newest season of the Clone Wars... AKA, me reading a thousand of different news articles created by super nerds that contain the same information until I find something different in one of them, then searching a thousand more websites to see if that new info is true._

_Some people say I'm obsessed. Well, it's not an obsession, it's a sickness.  
_

_Hope you enjoy the newest chapter! I certainly enjoyed all of your kind reviews :)  
_

Chapter Seven

_Ahsoka Tano's POV_

I awaken with a pounding head and a racing pulse. I must have fallen asleep during the virtual reality, when I had drowned. A nightmare tormented me during my slumber; I cannot remember most of the details, but I do remember the terror I had felt during it. Most of which I do remember consists of me alone in a dark room, not able to see anything while Merico's screams echo throughout my head. For a split second, I cannot remember where I am when I wake up, or why that dream scared me so much, but then everything comes back to me and I feel the guilt of Merico's death. But I will avenge it. The little guy will not die in vain.

I jump when the doors slide open. Peeking into my room, the same blue haired man tells me it is time for breakfast. A sudden, selfish urge tells me to save myself; that now is my chance to run and make a break for it, to run, find a ship, and save the others later. But I suppress the urge. If I run, Xero will probably just kill everyone else. Maybe he won't even care that I'm gone. And I can't have that. Merico needs to be avenged, and the others must be saved. I'm on my own now; I must make a plan as soon as possible, because I can't guarantee that someone else will.

Walking along side the blue haired man, I notice a small, old-fashioned ink pen in his pocket. Perhaps I could use it to write a note on a napkin and pass it around, telling the others about my plans of revolt. I carefully use the Force to grasp the pen. The man does not seem to notice that I have taken it. Once I'm in the dining room, I sit down next to Olee again and quickly take the napkin at my seat, putting it onto my lap as if I cared about table manners. Xero walks into the room, smiling at us.

Everyone seems to notice the empty chair where Merico sat yesterday.

"Hello, hello, my children!" Xero says gleefully. "Did you have a good time yesterday? Because I know I did!"

No one says anything. I use the Force on the pen to write my message on the napkin. I shake with nervousness, as Xero is _right next to me. _He could see the pen. He could know. And that will bring enormous trouble onto everyone.

"Still camera shy?" Xero asks. "Ah, well, that will go away soon enough."

_Pass this note, _the pen writes on the napkin.

"The first episode premiered today!" Xero laughs.

_…To the person next to you, _it writes. Faster… I must write faster!

"It was a hit!" Xero says. "Everyone loved your performances!"

_…Once you have finished reading, _it writes. _I have plans to get us out of here._

"So many good reviews," Xero says. "And I absolutely know that everyone will LOVE the next episode!"

_But I need your help, _I write faster. _I need to come up with a good plan, and you need to help me. When we are in the arena, DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE GAME._

"But I'm getting ahead of myself," Xero shrugs his shoulders.

What else? What else? _That is when we shall come up with the plan and escape, _I write quickly. _We don't have anymore time. It's now or never._

"You may now eat, my children!" Xero says.

_-Ahsoka Tano, _I sign. _PS: DO __NOT__ LET XERO SEE THIS NOTE._

Everyone starts eating nervously, and I quickly shove the napkin onto Olee's lap, starting to grab food and eat right after I do so. I take only a cookie or two, but once I bite into them, I realize how hungry I am. All I had to eat yesterday was one cookie for breakfast, no lunch or dinner. I start to pile on more than enough food for me to eat, trying to eat enough so I'll have enough strength for the day. Perhaps that's why I wasn't able to save Merico or think of a plan; I was simply too hungry to think very clearly. Maybe that's also why I failed at bringing the flag back to my own territory. Never mind that, focus on gaining your strength and thinking of a plan.

I gobble down on as much food as I possibly can, noticing no one else really eating anything. That's a problem. They'll need their strength, too. I should have put that on my note.

Another thing I notice while eating is people looking down carefully, reading the note. I glance over at Xero and back at the person reading at the moment, trying to see if Xero is noticing. He doesn't seem to, but he does notice that my eyes are darting back and forth between him and the person reading.

"Are you okay?" Xero asks me.

"Yes," I mumble, barely audible.

"She was just noticing how nice your dining room is," Olee says. "Right, Ahsoka?"

"Yea," I nod. "It's very pretty. Where did you get such nice furniture?"

"Oh, around," Xero says, obviously detecting our lie. Does he know what's going on? "I don't think you would know where any of the shops on this planet are."

"Well, wherever it's from," I say. "Tell the store that they're doing a good job!"

"I will…" his eyes narrow, looking at me suspiciously. His glance goes over toward the last person who had the note, Ele'la. He knows… or at least suspects.

"Hey!" Olee says suddenly. "Xero… uhm…"

"Yes?" he looks at us.

"You, uh, have really nice hair," Olee says. "And I was wondering where you got it done."

"You probably wouldn't know," Xero says. "And you're not going to get a haircut anytime soon…"

"Well," Olee says. "You just go and tell your barber that he is doing a REALLY excellent job!"

"Yea!" I join in.

"Okay…" he says. He then clears his throat. "All right, my children, breakfast is over. It's time to start our first part of the day!"

All of us get up and let the men and women lead us away to the aircraft. Before I can leave the room, however, Xero comes up to me, snatches the pen that is still in my hand and gives me a suspicious glare, one similar to the one Master gives me when he knows that I'm doing something I'm not supposed to, but will see how it will fold out anyway. The glare and him snatching the pen away from me sends chills down my spine. I can't tell if he knows what is going on or if he just suspects. I wonder if the last person who read my note, Aya, left the note behind at the table or if she took it with her. I hope and pray that she took it with her, because if she left it, Xero will most certainly find it and we'll all be kriffed.

Olee takes a seat right next to me as we're loaded onto the aircraft. Once the engines start up, she whispers in my ear, "Do you think he knows about the note?"

"I have no idea," I say. "He took the pen away from me… but I don't know if he only suspects it or knows for sure."

"Either way, we're kriffed," Olee swears.

"We'll be kriffed for sure if Aya left the note behind," I say.

"Well, let's ask her," Olee says. She gets up and sits over next to Aya, whispering to her something I can't hear. Aya whispers back, taking out the napkin from her pocket. I sigh with relief. Even if Xero suspects us, he won't know our actual plan.

A human boy with dark hair, Tito Alos, pokes me and whispers, "So, what's the plan?"

"Huh?" I ask. "Didn't you read the note? We have to wait until we're in the arena, and then we'll come up with one together."

"Yea, but we're all here," Tito says. "We could come up with one right now."

"Oh, well, true…" I say. Then I realize something. "Wait. No. We have to wait. We need to be in the arena so we can come up with a plan to get out. We won't be able to here since we don't know what this arena will look like, so it will work best when we're in the arena."

"True," he nods. He goes quiet for a minute, and then asks me, "Are you scared?"

"Yes," I say. "But… not really for the escape plan or this whole dying game. I'm afraid Xero might know what's going on. That he might know about our plan."

"Yea…" Tito says. "I'm scared. I know I shouldn't be. I just keep thinking about that reality thing from yesterday… you know, the one that targets fear and pain and stuff? In mine, I watched Count Dooku torture and murder my master, and I couldn't do anything. I just couldn't move… I just stood there and watched. I had never been so scared before."

"Yea," I nod. "Mine wasn't too fun either… but, wait. What do you mean, you know you shouldn't be scared? Anyone would be scared in a situation like this."

"Because," Tito says. "It's against the Code. Fear leads to the Dark Side… kind of. I mean, I've never heard of someone going to the Dark Side because they were simply just scared. But it's still against the Code."

I shrug. I hadn't thought about that. Master and I usually don't really pay attention to the Code that much.

"It's like this whole thing is set up to make us go against our beliefs," Tito says. "It makes us be in constant fear, which is against the Code. It makes us turn against each other, when we really need to be there for one another. It makes us use our anger… at least _I _did yesterday. I attacked Aya out of anger… I know I shouldn't have, but I did."

"Yea," I say. "I attacked Noil out of anger. And he attacked me out of it, too."

"And then it sucks out Midi-chlorians out of our bodies," Tito says. "I mean, how are we supposed to 'become one with the Force' when there's no Force left in our bodies!"

"We just have to stick to our beliefs as best as we can," Olee joins in, who has sat back next to me and overheard our conversation. "They may be trying to make us go against our nature, but that doesn't mean we have to let them. We're stronger than that."

"I guess," Tito shrugs.

"And this will all be over soon," I say. "We'll bust out of that arena and find a way home. I know it."

Tito gives us a smile. Somehow, listening to Olee talk about how we're better than what they are trying to make us has made me feel stronger. Normally, Master and I roll our eyes at people who are fully devoted to the Jedi Order, the ones who always pay attention to the Code and lecture others about doing so, too. But her words and devotion to the Order have made me feel stronger. Like it really is possible to get out of here, and everything will be all right. I wish all Jedi were like that, optimistic, devoted and encouraging, not like most of the Council members, who are cold, calculating, pessimistic, and seem to be overly obsessed with the Order. Olee is a model of what all Jedi should hope to be, not extremely powerful with the Force or able to master it quickly, just devoted and well rounded.

The aircraft lands. Time for our games.

We meet Xero in the same room as we were in last time. He smiles at us, not in his usual happy way, however. It's cold and full of pointed teeth. "Hello, my children," he says. He gives me a look. My heart races, but I force myself I take a deep breath and calm down. "Now it's time for your morning games. Today," I notice how is voice isn't happy or excited at all. In fact, he sounds slightly bored. "We will be playing a fun game called 'Atom'. In Atom, I will yell out a certain number, while all of you walk around in a circle. It will usually be either two or three, but sometimes four and sometimes even one. When I yell out that number, you will have to grab the nearest person next to you in a pair. So, for example, if I yelled out 'two' you would have to go into groups of two. However, if someone is unable to find a partner, that person will be out and will receive one point. Understood?"

We nod. I give a look to Tito. This is what he meant; they're trying to get us to go against each other.

"Remember," Xero says coldly. "There are cameras everywhere. They will capture your every move. Try not to embarrass yourself…" he looks at me. I take another deep breath.

"Ready?" Xero says. "Here we go. Start walking." We do so. "Three!"

Suddenly, everyone scrambles around to grab the nearest two people. I instantly grab Olee's hand, and she grabs Noil's hand. Everyone is in a pair of three except for Magsa Heper, the Rodian girl.

"You're out, Magsa," Xero says.

"But… but…" she stutters. Xero gestures for her to come over near him, away from the rest of us. Magsa gives us all a very sad look, one saying, "How could you?" We've turned against her. Unlike yesterday, when getting a point was entirely up to you, this is our fault.

"Okay," Xero says. "Let go of each others hands and start walking."

Everyone looks so edgy that I'm afraid they will literally jump right out of their skins.

"Two!" Xero commands.

Violet yanks on my arm so hard I'm afraid she pulled it out of its socket. I can feel her trembling. "Just keep calm," I whisper to her. "We're going to get out of here, remember?" She nods, still looking frightened, but less so.

"Nee," Xero says to the gungan girl. "You don't have a partner. You're out." She sadly walks away from us, and we all continue walking in our circle. Xero doesn't say anything for what must be only a few moments, though they feel like an eternity, and people jump and random times, trying to get ready to grab someone's arm. "Three!" I pull the closet people next to me, Rye and Violet, so hard they both wince. I need to calm down; we're getting out of here later. But something in the back of my mind tells me that this might not be the case.

Tito gets out. Then both Olee and Miro when calls out four. People keep getting out until it's just Noil, Ele'la, and me. We walk carefully and quickly in the circle, keeping our hands ready to yank the arm of the nearest person next to us. The tension in the air is so thick I think I might choke. We should be calm. None of this matters… right? Because we're getting out of here… right?

Somehow I feel like this may not reign true.

"Two!" Xero says. I reach out for Ele'la, but Noil grabs her hand before I can. Noil and Ele'la sigh with relief as my shoulders sag with defeat.

"Ahsoka," Xero says, coldly. "You have lost. Ele'la, Noil, you have won."

They both manage a weary smile.

"Are we going to play anymore?" Chiva asks quietly. I wish she hadn't asked that.

"No," Xero says. That's a surprise.

"Really?" Miro asks.

"Yes," Xero says. "We're done for the day. There will be no challenge in any arena today. All of you who have lost, you will be taken to your rooms where you will face the horror realities. Ele'la Sh'ker and Noil Seires, you two will be taken to the sucking machine and killed."

"Wait, what?" Noil cries. We all tense up.

"You heard me," Xero says.

"But we won!" Ele'la protests. "That's not fair!"

"I don't care," he says. "Guards. Leave the wookie and the Togruta boy here with me, take the rest of the brats back to their rooms."

The guards load us back into the aircraft, the shock still on everyone's faces. Clearly, we under estimated Xero. He has all the power on this planet; we should have expected something like. Because of our stupidity, two of us will be killed and the rest of us will be left in the horror realities, unable to contact each other to make a plan of escape.

Obviously, he knew about the note.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: This chapter is shorter than the others... sorry. Also, there are changing points of views, so keep an eye out for that_

Chapter Eight

_Noil Sieres's POV_

As the ten other padawans are hauled into the horror realities, Ele'la and I wait back with Xero. Unlike the time Merico was forced to stay back here, Xero does not look smile. He stares at us, his cold, pupil-less eyes looking like hard rocks that wish to crush us. I can sense Ele'la's fear, and I force myself to keep calm for the both of us.

It isn't until the padawans are gone when Xero finally speaks.

"Do you know why you two are being sucked?" he asks us, calmly. His nonchalant tone sends shivers down my spine.

"Because you're an insane, controlling skug," I swear at him.

"I'd rather call myself creative, smart… and whatever the opposite of a 'skug' is," he smiles cruelly at us, showing off his fangs.

"This isn't fair," Ele'la says. "We won. Why are we the ones being killed? And why aren't we going into the arena?"

"Because," Xero shrugs. "Of that note."

"You saw?" Ele'la whispers.

"That blondie named Aya sure didn't do a good job of covering it up," he shrugs again. "And I can't have an uprising on my hands, now, can I? That would go against the whole reason of making this TV show! Besides, the viewers loved the horror realities, so they'll get more of that during this episode."

"You're a monster," I spit.

"Naturally," Xero he smiles insanely. "I was wondering when you would notice."

Anger fills me up. I want to lash out, even though I know I shouldn't, yet it wouldn't even matter if I could; I don't know what to say. The whole thing is stupid. Kriffing stupid. I don't understand the point of any of this.

"Shall we go?" he asks. Guards come out from seemingly nowhere. I hate it when they do that. Before Ele'la and I can protest, they grab our arms and start taking us out of the room as Xero follows.

"Does it ever haunt you?" I taunt him, trying to by some time. Perhaps Ele'la and I can escape. "You kill children for seemingly no reason. Don't you ever feel guilty about that? Tell me, what's it like to know that you are responsible for the deaths of children?"

"Oh, it's not that bad," Xero says. "I mean, you're deaths were going to happen sooner or later. Why wait? I'm just speeding up the process. Think of it as me doing you guys a favor."

"How is this doing us a favor?" Ele'la screams with anger.

"Does it ever haunt you?" Xero asks. "Not knowing how or when you will die? I mean, think about it, your death could happen at any moment and you would never suspect it. Does it ever keep you up in the middle of the night? Laying there for hours and hours… wondering how you will die? If it would be long and painful, or short and quick? Would it be in 99 years, or in an hour? Tell me, what's it like not knowing your fate?"

"Don't turn my words against me!" I yell at him, uncertainly.

"I'm just making sure you know your true fate," he says. "You don't have to wonder anymore! Now you know that you will _never _live to accomplish something! Isn't that better than wondering if you would? I'm just doing you guys a favor."

The guards shove us into the aircraft that will take us to the sucking machine. I've blown it! When I was trying to distract Xero, I ended up getting distracted myself, and now we'll never be able to escape.

"Hey, Noil," Ele'la says to me. "When they take us to the sucking machine room, fight your way out and attack the guards. Once they're unconscious, we can both escape and get off the blasted planet."

"What about the others?" I ask.

"We can get them later," she says. "But we need to focus on ourselves now."

"That's not exactly the Jedi way," I say.

"Don't lecture me about the Force!" she protests. "We're about to become _one with the Force. _Would you rather be dead or free and alive?"

"Alive," I say. "I just…"

"Look," she says. "I'm not saying we should turn into Sith Lords or whatever. And yea, I know it's important to follow the Code. But right now, we need to help each other and get out of this mess. Truthfully, I don't know how to help the others. Do you?"

I shake my head.

"So, we'll get off this planet and let the Council take over," she says. "It's better this way. Don't you agree?"

"I haven't got any other plan," I shrug.

"Alright," Ele'la says. "Then let's do this."

The moment before the doors of the aircraft open, I suddenly remember that Ele'la and her master are known to loose a lot of clone troopers on mission, and often times loose the missions all together.

The guards haul us off the aircraft, but before they can take us into the building where we will be sucked, Ele'la growls, bites the hand of one of the men and attacks. She uses her claws to cut the guards and uses her brute strength. I follow suit, using the Force to push the woman holding my hands behind my back off of me. We become a team; backing each other up when one of us can't beat a certain guard and helping each other use the Force to knock a guard out. We're doing well when Xero comes out of the shadows and Force chokes Ele'la. Surprised that he is a Force-sensitive, I stop fighting and look at him in awe, giving time for the remaining guard to grab my and force me down.

"What do you think you're doing?" Xero asks through clenched teeth.

Ele'la grabs at the imaginary claws around her throat, wheezing, trying to speak but unable to with the tight grab around her neck. I don't simply don't answer.

"HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME," Xero screams. "DON'T YOU REMEMBER WHAT I SAID EARLIER? _I _ABDUCTED YOU! _I _TELL YOU WHAT TO DO!_ I TELL YOU WHAT TO DO!"_

With a flick of his wrist, he snaps Ele'la's neck, causing her eyes to roll back and her knees to buckle. I can sense her die the second she hits the floor.

"Let him up," he tells the guard, who follows his orders. Xero walks over to me, looks me in the eye and says, "You're fate is not going to be as quick as the wookie's. Sure, I'll be able to suck her body… but, let me tell you, being sucked when you're _alive… _well, it's pretty painful."

I feel myself start to tremble. His eyes are locked onto mine, and somehow I can't seem to drop his gaze. It's like those eyes can use the Force on their own; I can't look away, I can't run, I can't speak, I can't seem to do anything but look into those eyes and cower with fear.

"You can use the Force?" is all I can manage to choke out.

"Hey, what can I say?" he shrugs. "I am a Force wielder, after all."

Then he grabs my hands and pushes me into the building, where, after 19 years, finally meet my fate.

_Xero's POV_

Once both bodies of the former padawans are sucked dry, I let my guards dispose of them and ask for them to leave me be. My children have been very, very bad today. I'm not in the mood for anything else. Hopefully, however, the other remaining padawans will take this as a warning, one that tells them that I see, hear, and know everything that they are up to. And that I can kill any of them if I want to, at any time.

My comm-link beeps. I press the button and growl into it, "What?"

"Xero, sir," it's Zila. "I've received word that the neighbor of the family who was killed by the Jedi started telling others about what happened. We killed him and anyone he told right after we heard."

"Good," I say. Finally, something good that happens today. "Is that all?"

"No, sir," she says. "The person who you wished to keep an eye on Skywalker has agreed to your terms. This person will make contact with Skywalker as soon as possible."

"Excellent," I say, feeling a smile cross my face.


	9. Chapter 9

_This chapter wrote itself... not much action in it, however. It's hard to come up with horror and suspense in each chapter. I think it's better if it's not like that. Makes the scary parts more scary._

_Hope you enjoy!  
_

Chapter Nine

_Anakin Skywalker's POV_

Walking down the dirt road, I look for any signs of civilization, trying to ignore the tugging of guilt at my gut. I have done something very, very bad. Obi-Wan would not approve… or Ahsoka. Or Padme. Or anyone. Yes, I have done something awful, and it was ugly, but I won't think about it. It's over now… though does that make it worse? No, I won't think about it.

For the last five hours, I've been walking across a dirt road, trying to get as far as possible from that house and getting as close as possible to a town or city where I can go ask someone where Ahsoka and the other padawans are being filmed. But it's been nothing but miles and miles of country road. My feet are starting to ach and my eyes are starting to droop with exhaustion. My attack on that family was powered by a blast of extreme anger, which gave me my strength. Now the anger is gone, as is my strength, so now my energy is down and in replace of anger is exhaustion. I felt like this after the dreaded Tusken Raider event, though at a much more extreme degree.

I do my best to power through it. To get to a town as quickly as possible so I can find the padawans as quickly as possible and get them out of here as quickly as possible. But I don't even know if I'm going in the right direction. For all I know, I could be going _away _from where it's being filmed. The thought brings frustration, a dull, slightly annoyed frustration, not an angered one, and seems to make me go slower. I need to take a nap. Was I like this after my mother's death? No, I don't think so. I was too sad to sleep. But now… I'm not sad. I'm just worried. And I need to go to sleep.

An hour later, a speeder comes by, going the opposite direction I am. The person in the speeder must see me, for it stops next to me.

"You doing okay, buddy?" the person driving asks me. A man, probably around Obi-Wan's age, with black hair and blue eyes that look like gems without pupils.

I'm about to say, yes, I'm doing fine, go away now. But something makes me swallow my pride and say, "No. I'm lost. Can you take me to the nearest town?"

"I was just going there," he says. "Good thing I came by, huh?"

"Yea," I shrug.

"Come on in…" he gestures to the passenger seat. I hop into the speeder and sit down, and the man starts driving.

"You're not one of us, are you?" the man asks after a beat. I shake my head. "Are you going to report me to the authorities?" I ask him.

"Nah," he shakes his head. "I don't really believe all the rumors about humans. You guys can't be as bad as us, anyway."

I shrug.

"You've been walking a long time?" he asks. "You look exhausted."

"I am," I say, resting my head against my hand, propped up on my elbow.

"The nearest town is a long way away from here," he tells me. "You can just take it easy for now."

"Thank you," I murmur.

"My name's Zenneth, by the way," the man says. "You?"

"Anakin," I say.

Zenneth doesn't talk to me anymore, and after a few more minutes in the speeder, I feel myself drift off into a dull, achy slumber. During most of it, I don't dream anything, expect for this noise that I'm sure if it's a dream… Umi's voice buzzing around in my ears like an annoying bug. I keep trying to shake it away, but it seems to get gradually louder and louder as the ride goes on. The next thing I know is Zenneth's hand shaking my shoulder, trying to wake me. When I open my eyes, he tells me that we're at his house and that I should probably stay there for the night so I can eat and rest before I continue my journey. He leads me into his house. I didn't even say thank you for his hospitality.

"Mom!" Zenneth calls out, pushing a button on the wall to shut the front door. "Mom! I'm home!"

"Did you get more milk?" I hear an old lady's voice call out from upstairs. "We need more milk!"

"Sorry," he says. "I forgot. But we do have a guest in the house!"

"What?" the elder woman walks down the stairs with a cane. Her hair and eyes are pale, and she shakes with each step she takes down the stairs. "You never told me we were having a guest." She gives me a look, one that makes me uncomfortable. She's looking at me like I were a dead animal a pet would bring a master, not a person. "A human?" she asks. "Why'd you bring a human?"

"He was wondering around," Zenneth says. "He was lost and looked exhausted. So I told him that he could stay here for the night before he continued his journey. Is that okay?"

"As long as he doesn't stink up the place," she wrinkles her nose.

"Thanks for your hospitality," I finally say, though sarcastically.

"Be nice, Mom," Zenneth says. "Mom, this is Anakin. Anakin, this is my mother, Aislynn."

"Nice to meet you," I mumble, but I do bow respectfully.

"What exactly _are _you doing on this planet?" she asks me. She sees my lightsaber. "Why do you have that?"

"Uhm… if you will excuse me," Zenneth says, seeing it as well. "I need to go show our guest to the guest room, Mom. And please, no more rude questions." He grabs my arm and pulls me upstairs into what must be the guest room, locking the door behind him.

"Okay, Anakin," Zenneth says. "Why do you have that, and why are you on this planet?"

I launch the whole story, skipping over the part about me murdering an entire family, of course. I tell him that my padawan, Ahsoka Tano, was discovered missing, I tell him about the doll, and how I woke up on this planet and have to find her and the other padawans because I've heard that they are going to all be killed for entertainment.

"Wow," Zenneth whistles. "That's tough." He sighs.

"Yes," I say. "So I need to get to the place where this TV show is being filmed before they kill Ahsoka. Have they killed anyone yet?"

"They've killed this little guy named Merico so far," he says. "He probably was only fourteen. I'm not sure who else. They film the day before the episode comes out, so another has probably died already."

I feel my shoulders sag. "Do you know where they film?" I ask him.

"No," he shakes his head. "Although… I do know someone who might. But she lives in another city. I could take you there, if you want."

"What?" I say. "Oh, no. You've done enough already. You're already letting me stay here for the night. I can't ask for anything else."

"But I want to," he says. He sighs, starting to sad. "Look, I know how you feel. This isn't the first time our leader has done something like this."

"It's not?" I ask.

"No," he shakes his head. "Last year, they had a TV show similar to this one. That year, they chose one kid from a few cities and were forced into brutal challenges that ended up with all of them dead. My oldest daughter, Kendra, was chosen."

This shocks me. Maybe because it's like what I'm going through, or maybe because I thought I was the only one going through something like that. For a second, I have no idea what to say, but I manage to choke out, "I'm so sorry."

"They have one of these death TV shows about twice a year," Zenneth merely shrugs. "I never really paid attention to any of them until Kendra was chosen. You never really give a damn until it hits home, hard."

I nod.

"So will you let me help you?" he asks.

"Of course," I say.

"Good," he smiles, showing his pointed teeth. "I'll tell my family that I have a business trip or something. Oh," he suddenly says. "Do _not _tell anyone you are a Jedi, or that your padawan is Ahsoka Tano. If anyone asks, say that you're…"

"Looking for my daughter," I interrupt. "It's what she's like to me, anyway, so it's pretty much true."

"And say that your lightsaber is just for protection," he says. "That's an antique or whatever. People used to have loads of them back in the day, but ever since the Jedi hatred revolution or whatever you want to call it started people have been using them less and less."

"Okay," I say. After a beat, I say, "Thank you, for everything. This really means a lot to me."

"No problem," he shrugs.

"Zenneth!" Aislynn yells. "What are you doing up there?"

"I'm showing Anakin the guest room!" he yells back down.

"How long does it take to show a damned room?" she yells.

Zenneth sighs. "What the hell is wrong with that woman?" he asks, mainly to himself. I chuckle.

He unlocks the door and we both walk downstairs, where the front door opens and walks in a little girl, probably only ten. She's about to speak when she sees me, and stops and stares.

"What up with the human?" she asks Zenneth.

"He's our guest," Zenneth says. "He's looking for his daughter, and is staying for the night. His name is Anakin, and I want you to treat him kindly, okay?"

"Sure," she shrugs.

"Anakin," Zenneth says. "This is my daughter, Nani."

"Hello," I nod at her. She gives me a smile, which disappears. "Your daughter isn't on that new TV show, is she?"

"Uhm… no," I say. "But… she will be on another one. And I have to go rescue her. She's… already been taken."

"Oh, I hope she doesn't end up like Kendra," Nani says. "She's my big sister. She was killed for TV."

Looking at this little girl, probably no more than ten, speaking about how her older sister was killed for entertainment purposes causes something to well up in my throat and something to stir in my stomach. I don't like this feeling. I mumble her an, "I'm so sorry," when a loud, screeching noise starts up, drowning me out.

"Norika's awake," Nani says sullenly.

"Can you go get her?" Zenneth asks.

"What?" Nani protests. "But I just got here!"

"Please?" Zenneth says.

Nani groans and marches up the stairs, growling about how she always has to take care of the baby and some other… not so pleasant things about her father.

"That's my youngest," Zenneth explains. "Norika's only 18 months."

"Where's the mother?" I ask.

"Uya's on a business trip," Zenneth explains. "She'll be back in a month."

"Ah," I nod, understanding. Zenneth looks down at his watch. He says, "It's late. I better start up dinner. Make yourself at home." He walks into a different room; one I'm assuming is the kitchen.

Alone, I look around the family room. There are many pictures on the wall. One with Nani as a little girl, with mud all over her. At least I hope it's mud. Another with Zenneth and someone I'm assuming is his wife, Uya, smiling at the camera with a lake in the background. Then one of Aislynn as a young woman, holding a baby in her arms, Zenneth, most likely. And another of a girl around Ahsoka's age, who looks exactly like Zenneth. There are many pictures of her… could this be Kendra? She looks so happy in all of the pictures. I wonder how Zenneth and his family could deal with so many pictures of Kendra when she died in such a terrible way. It would bring back so many bad memories. I could never keep up all these pictures of people whom I've loved that have died. I only have one picture of my mom, I used to have another, but it was ruined, and I hide it in the back on my closet so I don't have to be reminded about her terrible fate, and how I was too late to save her.

"Are you a Jedi?" Aislynn's voice asks me from behind, startling so much I jump.

"No," I say, turning around to face her.

"You look like one," she says.

"Looks can be deceiving," I say.

"That is true," she nods. "When I first saw you, I actually thought you were intelligent."

I glare at her.

"Then again, what was I thinking?" she says. "Everyone knows that pretty people are stupid. Especially men as handsome as you."

I feel my cheeks go red. Aislynn smirks at my blush.

"See?" she smiles. "Can't expect anything from a pretty boy, except to be pretty." She twirls around, laughing as she walks away.

Unsure of what to do, and not wanting to be on the same floor as that weird old lady, I walk upstairs, deciding to see what Nani's doing. I see her in a room, holding a toddler, rocking her gently.

"Hey," I say.

"Hi," Nani says. She shakes her head. "Don't Norika's appearance trick you. She's a demon." I chuckle, finding it hard to believe that the small, blond haired little girl to be a "demon".

"She just woke up from her nap," she says. "That's when she's the worst. Isn't that right, Rika?"

"No!" Norika's eyes suddenly open, revealing large, blue eyes. "I'm not bad! I'm a princess!"

"Yea, whatever," Nani rolls her eyes. "Norika, did you say hi to Anakin? He's staying here for the night." Nani lets the little girl down, who walks up to me and stares. She almost falls backward, and probably might break her neck as she strains to look up at me. It doesn't help that she's tiny and I'm pretty tall.

"You're funny looking," Norika says to me. I smile at her "insult".

"Norika!" Nani says. "Don't be mean! He's our guest. You have to be nice."

"I am nice," she says. "I'm a princess!"

Nani rolls her eyes. "She speaks in full sentences," Nani says. "And she's only one years old. It's scares the crap out of me and Grandma."

"I'm a princess!" Norika exclaims, throwing up her small, chubby arms. "See? I have a princess gown." She shakes her hips, moving the pink tutu she's wearing back and forth.

"Yes you are," I smile at her, crouching down. "And you're a very cute one."

"See?" Norika sticks out her tongue at Nani. "Ann-kan knows I'm a princess!"

"His name is not 'Ann-kan'," Nani says. "It's _Anakin."_

"You guys can just call me Ani," I shrug. I'm not surprised that Norika can't pronounce my name. It's not exactly the easiest name for little children to pronounce. Hell, _I _couldn't even pronounce my own name when I was little.

"That's a girls name," Norika says bluntly. Nani and I laugh at her comment.

"See?" Nani says through giggles. "I told you she's a demon."

"No!" Norika says. "I'M A PRINCESS. BOW DOWN BEFORE ME."

"You better bow down," I say. "This girl doesn't mess around." Nani rolls her eyes, but crouches down just to humor Norika.

"Yay!" Norika says. Then her large blue eyes lock onto mine. "I'm a princess," she says. "And now you are my prince. Okay?"

"Okay," I say, smiling.

"And Nani is our servant!" Norika yells. "BOW DOWN BEFORE US, NANI."

"I'm already bowing!" Nani says as I start laughing at the whole scene.

Zenneth's voice comes from downstairs. "Dinner!" he calls.

"Come on, guys," I say, getting up.

"Carry me!" Norika throws out her hands. I chuckle and pick her up, taking her downstairs as Nani follows me.

Nani leads me into the dining room, where the table is already set with silverware and food. I set Norika down on her height chair and take a seat next to her. Zenneth and Aislynn take the remaining seats and everyone starts eating, expect for me. The food looks… quite strange.

"Don't worry," Zenneth says. "The food here isn't poisonous to humans. You'll be fine."

I hesitantly grab random pieces of food and stack them on my plate. I try one meat stick, which is actually quite delicious, and gobble up the rest of the food. As we all eat, Zenneth explains to everyone that he has to go to a last minute business meeting, a long one, and he's not quite sure when he'll be back. Aislynn complains about how he's always out and about, and never tells her where he's going until he has to leave. The rest of dinner is relatively peaceful, however, which is exactly what I need. I need to keep calm right now, and relax, so I can focus on finding Ahsoka and the others. The last thing I need is stress. Or more guilt.

Once dinner is over, Nani asks her father if she can go outside and show me the garden. He responds yes, and after both of us clear our plates, Nani takes us to the garden.

It's a large, beautiful garden, with many colorful and strange flowers and plants. A tree bearing strange blue fruits grows near a bush full of yellowish orange buds, with a strange mist decorating everything. "This is our garden," Nani says. "It took a while to grow it. Kendra loved flowers, and always wanted to be a gardener when she grew up. She created most of it. Now, all we really do is try to keep all of this alive." Nani grabs my mechanical arm and pulls through more of the garden on a small, rock path. I have to squeeze through the large, fluffy bushes and bundles of flowers that are growing over the path. "We have to clean this part," she says.

Once we're off the path, she shows me to an even bigger part of the garden, one that looks like it was professionally made.

"This is the best part of the garden," she says. "It took Kendra a year to plan out, and even longer to grow. But it was worth it."

"It's beautiful," I say, looking around in awe.

"It's not easy to manage," Nani says. "It's a real pain sometimes. But we kind of feel like we have to keep working on it. Kendra would want us to. Sometimes I wish she would just leave us alone so we could stop, but you know, when it's all misty outside like it is now, and when it's perfectly made like now, too, it kind of feels like Kendra's still here with us."

She looks at me. I'm thinking she's going to keep talking about her sister when she says, "Wanna eat a berry?"

"Sure," I shrug my shoulders. She picks two off of a bush, eats one herself and hands one to me. I put it into my mouth, and once I do, I wish I hadn't. It's bitter and tart, and difficult to swallow.

"Yuck," I say, once I manage to hold it down.

"Nasty, right?" Nani says. "But it turns your tongue green! Look!" She sticks out her tongue, which, in fact, has turned into a dirty green. She giggles. I roll my eyes in amusement.

"There are also some really spiky ones," she says. "I don't know why they're spiky, because they're not supposed to. But they're kind of cool. Wait here, I'm going to find them."

She goes into the bushes, searching for the berries, but groans when she can't find them. "They were here yesterday!" she insists. "Grandma must have gotten rid of them. She thought they were ugly."

"That's too bad," I say.

"They were pretty ugly," she admits. I chuckle at her sudden change of heart.

"How are you going to save your daughter?" Nani asks after a long pause.

"I don't really know," I say.

"I hope you find her," she says. "Maybe when you do, you and her could visit."

"That'd be nice," I nod. I give her a grin. "I'd like that."


	10. Chapter 10

_Not much action in this chapter. But I needed to introduce a new character_

_A/N: Changing points of views in this chapter, look out for those  
_

Chapter Ten

_Anakin Skywalker's POV_

That night, a nightmare intrudes my dreams. Voices of the dead haunt me, especially Umi's, who chases me around repeating the words I said to her, screaming, "PAY. PAY. YOU WILL ALL PAY. _YOU WILL ALL PAY_." Then her eyes turn pitch black, and her body seems to be sucked into them, turning everything into darkness. I spend the rest of the nightmare covering my ears, trying to block out the screams of terror and pain that come from Ahsoka. I wake up out of breath and sweating.

"You cry when you sleep," Norika says.

Her voice startles me so much I almost jump out of my skin. "Don't do that," I tell her.

"Why do you cry when you sleep?" she asks. "I used to. But that's because I was a baby. And you're not a baby."

"People tend to get scared when they have nightmares," I say.

"But they don't cry," she says. "You were crying. With tears and boohoos."

I feel my face go red. "Was I loud?" I ask.

"No," she shakes her head. "I only heard because I was watching you."

"Why…?" I ask her. "How did you get out of your crib, anyway?"

"Because I'm a big girl!" she says. "And you're my prince, 'member? So I gotta wake you up with a kiss."

"You don't have to do that," I laugh.

"Yes I do!" she says. Then she gets up onto my bed and gives me a big, wet kiss on my cheek. "There we go!" she smiles. I laugh. Norika looks down at my arm, and makes a face. "Your arm is black," she says.

"Oh, yea," I say, lifting it up. "It's robotic."

"Why?" she asks.

"Because…" I say. "Ah… it, uh, got cut off."

"Cool!" she says.

"No, not cool," I shake my head. "It hurt!"

"I hope you didn't cry," she says. "Because _that's _for _babies."_

I roll my eyes. "You are something else, aren't you?" She nods.

"I have to pee," she says. "Bye!" And then she hops off the bed and runs out of the room. I shake my head and roll my eyes.

After dressing myself, I walk downstairs and find Nani and Aislynn watching TV while Zenneth cooks breakfast. I sit down next to Nani, asking, "What are you watching?"

"That TV show with the padawans," she says sullenly.

"Oh," I whisper. Then I raise my voice, "Why not watch something else?"

"Because if you don't," Aislynn says. "You'll have to pay a fine. And we can't afford that."

"Oh," I say. I watch with horror as Ahsoka and the rest of the padawans are forced to play some sort of game called "Atom", and if any of them loose they will be given one point, with will bring them closer to death. Each time a man with dark hair, who Nani tells me is the leader of the planet and named "Xero", calls out a number, I jump slightly, and each time Ahsoka does not get out, I relax slightly as well. She makes it to the final three when she gets out. The emotion I feel then can only be described as dread. But then… what's this? Xero claims a rule change; the two winners will be killed, even though they did not get points. Aislynn groans at the unfairness. Selfishly, I'm glad Ahsoka got out. At least she is safe.

Then I watch in horror as they show one of the kids, Noil, I think, being killed (they do not show the other… I wonder why?) by this thing called the "sucking machine", which sucks out all of your Midi-chlorians until you're dead. It looks insanely painful, and watching the poor kid being drained out makes my own body ache. According to the Council, I've got the largest amount of Midi-chlorians in recorded history. How long would it take for me to be sucked? How painful would that be?

Aislynn walks out when Noil starts to be sucked. Nani cuddles up next to me, her eyes large with fear. After a commercial break, they show something called "horror realities", which basically puts the remaining padawans in a virtual reality that evokes extreme fear or pain. It makes me sick to my stomach watching the children go through that, but watching Ahsoka's horror reality makes me feel sick as well, but angry, scared, sad, all at the same time. I want to kill that Xero, who Nani says created the show. I want to run away and stop watching. I want to go help Ahsoka and get her out of there, and hold her safe in my arms until all the pain of what has happened to her goes away. I'm glad that Nani starts to cling onto my arms because if I were alone watching this I might throw up. Or something.

Once it ends, Zenneth comes in. "Are you okay?" he asks us, seeing our horrified faces. "Breakfast is ready, by the way."

"I have to leave now," I say robotically.

"If you're not hungry… that's fine," he says.

"No," I say. "I need to go on finding my daughter now. She needs me."

"Oh," Zenneth says. "Can you wait until after breakfast?"

"No," I say.

He sighs, looking down at his watch. "Well," he says. "It's time for me to get going on that business trip, anyhow. Let me go get my things, and we can both leave together."

"You're leaving now?" Nani asks. "Can't you wait until later?"

"Sorry," he shrugs. "It's a long drive."

"Okay," she says, her shoulders sagging.

"He'll be back," I tell Nani. "Don't worry."

"I know," she says quietly.

Zenneth goes upstairs to get his things, either using that as part of his act or it's really full of things we may need, I have no idea. He comes downstairs a few minutes later, being trailed by Norika. He gives Norika and Nani hugs and kisses, gives Aislynn a hug and takes his suitcase outside, putting it in the speeder.

"Thanks for your hospitality," I say to the three females, meaning it this time.

"No!" Norika protests. "We're supposed to get married! You can't leave."

"I'll be back later," I say. "Once I find my daughter. I promise." I crouch down and give the tiny toddler a hug, who wraps her arms around my neck.

"I hope you find her," Nani tells me once I let go of Norika. "And don't forget to come back and visit when you do!" Unexpectedly, she gives me a hug, though she's so small that she can only reach my lower torso. "I will," I tell her. Letting go, she smiles at me.

"If you're expecting to hug you," Aislynn says to me. "You are surely mistaken."

"Yea, it was nice meeting you too," I say sarcastically.

"Get lost," she waves me away good-naturedly. "And don't bring any trouble to my son, or you'll regret it!"

_No promises, _I think to myself. Trouble follows me everywhere. But I tell her, "I won't."

Saying goodbye once more, I walk outside and climb into the speeder with Zenneth.

"Where are we headed?" I ask him as he starts driving towards the city.

"I know about someone who may know where the TV show is being filmed," Zenneth says. "Her name is Elmira Ryoku. She's very reliable."

"How do you know her?" I ask.

"Well… I've actually never met her," Zenneth admits. "But my friend told me about her. She works for the government, but she helps people save their children from those TV shows undercover."

"Nice," I say. "Are you sure she is reliable?"

"If her reputation lives up to the hype," Zenneth says.

"How much hype?" I ask.

"Enough," Zenneth says. He gives me a look. "Relax, will you? We're going to find your padawan."

He drives into the city, where buildings seem to go up into the clouds. Speeders flying around, honking at each other, and there seems to be some sort of train system, with the trains flying around in the sky along with the speeders as if they were equal. Large TV's are plastered everywhere, showing replays of the deadly TV show containing the padawans. One of them shows Ahsoka in her nightmare reality. I try to ignore her screams as we drive deeper into the core of the city.

"Where will we meet Ryoku?" I ask.

"My friend gave me her number," he says. "I called her, asking her if we could meet up for business. We'll be meeting her at a bar in the east side of the city."

"A bar," I mumble. "Of course."

Driving along in the city, I look around, noticing that the people watching are similar to Umi's family, laughing at the torture of the children. It makes me feel sick to my stomach, and sends an unhealthy wave of rage throughout me. Zenneth must see this, as he turns on the radio, trying to distract me. But the radio is only about that kriffed TV show. I look away at the pedestrians, trying to burry my rage. Watching the people walking around, I almost don't realize the radio starting to go haywire, all static-y and mumbled. Zenneth, cursing under his breath, fiddles with the knobs, trying to fix it.

"Damned thing," Zenneth mutters. "Need to fix this later."

A small voice in my head tells me that I was the one who did that. That somehow my anger caused that machine to go haywire. Most of me say that's crazy, how could I do that? But a smaller, more reasonable part of me tells me that it's true. It's the small part of me that tells me that Obi-Wan is right, or that I should give my padawan or freedom. The part of me that I usually don't listen to.

"Hey, look," Zenneth says, swerving to the right. "We're here."

Parking the speeder near the dark building, the one that must be the bar, we hop out of it and walk into the dark, looming building. Of course Ryoku is here. Why should I expect anything different? Though, when we enter the building, it's actually not that bad. It's quiet, people speaking in hushed voices and soft music playing in the background, and definitely doesn't smell as bad some of the other bars I've been to. Zenneth walks up to the bartender, asking if a woman named Elmira Ryoku is here. The bartender points over to a woman on the right side of the room, waiting alone, causally drinking a glass of water while fiddling with her jewelry. Zenneth and I walk over to her, taking our seats in front of her.

"Can I help you…?" she asks, setting down her drink. Her eyes are a deep brown, with too much makeup on the eyelashes, and her hair frightens me. It's the color of blood.

"We spoke on the phone," Zenneth explains. "Remember? I'm Zenneth Ari."

"Oh!" Elmira exclaims, giving off a wide, toothy grin. "Yes, I remember! It's so good to meet you!" She grabs his hand, shaking it excitedly. Then she looks at me. "And this is the other man accompanying you?" Zenneth nods. "I can't remember your name," Elmira gives me a sad look. "Would you mind telling it to me again?"

"Anakin Skywalker," I remind her.

"That's it!" she exclaims and smiles. "It's good to meet you, too!" She grasps my flesh hand, shaking it with an iron grip. When she lets go, my hand throbs. She had to go on and shake the flesh hand.

"Now," Elmira says, fiddling with the necklace around her neck, a silver locket in the shape of a heart. "Zenneth, you were very vague over the phone. You said something about a human looking for his daughter… is this him?" She points to me.

"Yes," I say before Zenneth can respond. "My daughter has been chosen to be on another one of those TV shows… you know, the ones that end up with everyone being killed? It's coming out after the newest one on right now… which gives us some time, but I need to find her before it's too late. Can you help us find the place where they film these shows?"

"I haven't heard of this show," Elmira says. "Only about the newest one… the one with the padawans."

I feel a slight panic well up in my gut, realizing that she has detected my lie.

"Oh, well," she shrugs. "They never tell me anything anymore. I'm sure you know more about this than I do! So, all you need is to find out where they film these TV shows?"

"And we may need your help to break his daughter out," Zenneth says. "And possibly the others who have been chosen."

"Seems risky…" Elmira says. "If we get caught, we're done for… but finding the film location and breaking out the others? Doesn't seem too hard. If we do this right, it'll be a piece of cake."

"Does this mean you're in?" I ask.

"Of course!" Elmira chirps. "How could I say no to a father looking for his daughter? That's so touching! I am most certainly in!"

"That's great," I say.

"You guess want some drinks?" Elmira asks. "I can order you guys some."

"No, thank you," I say.

"Alright," Elmira says. "Now, here's the plan…"

_Xero's POV_

Reading a news report, nibbling on some crackers, my comm-link beeps. I press the button, and Zila's voice comes through it.

"Sir," Zila says. "The person you have hired to keep watch on Skywalker has sent the signal. This person has recently made contact with him, and is bringing him to you for that 'special surprise' you have in mind. All is going according to plan."

Smiling, I say into the comm-link, "Excellent. Tell this person that he must be here in no more than a week, if this TV show is going to go as planned."

"Yes, sir," Zila says. She cuts off contact, and I sink back into my chair. Yes, I do believe this will be quite a surprise indeed.


	11. Chapter 11

_I like reviews... a lot._

_And, not gonna lie, this chapter was INSANELY fun to write.  
_

_Enjoy!  
_

Chapter Eleven

_Ahsoka Tano's POV_

How many times can I watch Master die? How many times can I watch _any _of the people I care about die? Watching Lux Bonteri being stabbed in the stomach, and holding him until his blood and his life are finally drained out of him. Seeing Master being electrocuted to death. How many times can I experience my own death… ones that may never come, and ones that seem all the much more likely to happen if I wasn't in this game. How many times can I experience the deaths of the people I have killed? Watching my own hands slaughter… I see and feel all of these things until I scream myself to sleep. The blue haired man has to awaken me when it is time for breakfast.

Once we get to the dining area, I notice the spaces where Ele'la Sh'ker and Noil Seires are empty, as the space with Merico still is. I also notice two other chairs are empty, the ones where Nee Mallik and Rye Nam sat.

"Where's Nee and Rye?" I whisper to Olee, who now has bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, most likely.

"I have no idea," she shrugs.

The remainders of us stay quiet until Xero comes in, and that's when we all go completely silent. Most of us avoid eye contact with him.

"Hello, hello, my children!" Xero says, sitting down. "Yesterday was a bit of an off day, don't you think? Let's hope that this doesn't happen again, shall we?"

No one says anything.

"But, alas, I'm afraid we all have some bad news," Xero says, becoming serious. "It seems that two of you, Nee Mallik and Rye Nam, have left us last night."

Our eyes go big, and a few of us gasp.

"What have you done to them?" Tito demands.

"Nothing!" Xero holds up his hands. "Intentionally, that is. It seems that during the horror realities they both became so scared they died of fear. Pity, I had so much in store for them!" He looks disturbingly upset. "Oh, well. You may all eat!"

For a moment, no one grabs any food, all of us feeling too sick to eat. But I know I'll need my strength, so I grab some food and start stacking it onto my plate, and others follow suit. A few minutes into the meal, we all start to hear whimpering. Looking up, I notice it is coming from Chiva, the green skinned twi'lek girl. She tries to hold in her cries by stuffing food into her mouth, but it barely does anything, considering her eyes are welling up with tears. You know, I've never noticed how small she was up until now. She always had this sort of confidence, even when she was scared. But honestly, she can't be more than 15 years old.

"Excuse me, Mr. Xero?" Violet asks, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Yes?" Xero asks.

"Can I go to the restroom?" Violet asks.

"No," Xero says. "You may go before and after you play the games, just like everyone else."

"But I really have to pee," Violet whines.

"I'll go with her," Olee suggests. "I have to go as well."

"So do I!" Miro says.

"As do I!" Aya says.

"ENOUGH," Xero says, banging his fist on the table. We all go silent. "None of you are going right now. You may go BEFORE or AFTER you play the games, when the guards are watching you. But NOT NOW. And you may no nag me anymore about this. Because I _can _and _will _kill you. _Understood?"_

"Yes, sir," we all mumble.

About fifteen minutes later, Xero tells us that dinner is over and that we all may _now _go use the restroom. Most of us do so, glumly, I may add, and then we're all shipped off into the aircraft. Tito sits next to me, whispering in my ear, "So, are we going to revolt this time?"

"I think so," I say. "If we're taken to the arena, that is. We most likely will, since we didn't speak of any revolt or passed any notes. So I think we'll be fine."

"I think we should try and escape when we're being taken to play those games," Tito says. "It'll be easier."

"There'll be more guards," I say. "We need to escape during our time in the arena. We'll be able to make weapons and other things we'll need in there."

"But we don't even know what this arena will be like," Tito says. "It could be a desert for all we know."

"Do you have any better ideas?" I ask.

"Yes," he protests. "Escaping once we land for our games."

"This is a team effort," I say. "We need each other. We've already lost… what, five people already? That means there are only eight of us left. That's not exactly enough to make a super amazing, top notch escape. So we need each other, and we've all agreed to escape in the arena, okay?"

"I know," he says. "But we have to do it _today, _alright? Like you said, we can't afford to loose any more people. We're going to have to make a plan, _today, _and it has to be a good one, _today, _and we're going to have to execute it, _today, _and it's going to have to work, _today. _You understand that, right?"

"I know, I know!" I snap, angered. "I know we don't have any time to do this. You don't need to remind me."

"Unless this plan doesn't include everyone," he says.

"It does!" I say.

"Okay, okay," Tito holds up his hands. "I was just saying. You don't have to get mad."

"Okay," I say. "Sorry. It's just kind of stressful."

"I understand," Tito agrees.

The aircraft lands. The guards take us out of it and haul us into the same room as we were in the last time. Xero waits for us, grinning. It scares me how he seems to be everywhere all at once. He tells us that we will be playing the Atom game again. We all groan, but are forced to play six rounds. I win once, along with Olee. Once the games are over, we're taken to the arena, which turns out to be a large jungle, green and lush… and full of strange, disturbing animal noises. Xero waits for us again, sitting on top of a mossy log.

"Hello, hello, my children!" Xero smiles cruelly. "Today, your challenge will be quite a fun one… one I'd like to call, 'Murderer'. You see, first, all of you will gather around in a circle and close your eyes. If you peek, you will be killed. Now, I will go around the circle and tap one of you on the back, and whoever is chosen will be the murderer. After I choose, you may all open up your eyes and scatter throughout the forest, alone. If you approach a person, you must shake their hand. They the person who shakes your hand scratches your palm, that person is the murderer, and you will be out and given one point. If you know who is the murderer, you must come to me and tell me. If you are correct, you will have won the game, and everyone else will gain one point. If you are incorrect, you have lost and will gain one point. Understood?"

We nod, nervously.

"Good!" he smiles. "Now, everyone get into a circle and close your eyes. Again, no peeking, or you will be killed."

Gathering into the circle, I shut my eyes as tight as possible. Every time Xero walks around me, I flinch slightly. I'm unsure why. It seems that his mere presence is terrifying.

"Alright!" Xero exclaims happily after a long pause. "I have chosen the murderer! You may all open your eyes and scatter at once!"

All of us do so, running in different directions, pretending that we are going along with the game. But all of us know that this is just an act. We will all gather together and find a way to get out, or perhaps use this time to find a way out of this arena. After all, the arena can't go on forever, can it? After running about 3o meters away from Xero, I slow down to a mere walk, looking for anyway out of this arena, or anything I can use. I could use a thick branch as a club to attack a guard, if necessary. Maybe I could make a weapon out of vines and branches and rocks. Or maybe I could make some tools. Or perhaps…

"Hey, Ahsoka!" I hear a voice call for me. Turning around, little Chiva Creena runs up to me. "Glad I found you. Look what I found!" She holds up an insanely thick piece of wood. It probably weighs more than she does. Or more than I do, for that matter.

"Whoa," I say.

"I thought it could be useful," she explains, shrugging her shoulders. "Have you found anything? A way of escape, perhaps?"

"No," I shake my head. "Have you?"

She shakes her head sadly. "Are you sure this is going to work?" she asks.

"Of course it is," I say.

"Yea," she nods her head. "Yea… it'll work. You're right. If we just keep telling ourselves that, it'll come true, don't you think?"

"I hope so," I say. "Come on. Let's go find the others."

Walking throughout the jungle, the two of us find Miro, who is looking through some bushes. He senses us, and turns around, putting his finger to his lips.

"What is it?" Chiva whispers.

"Come look," he whispers, gesturing us to come look through the bushes. Crouching down, both of us look through them, seeing Olee, who seems to be gathering berries and leaves.

"It's just Olee," I whisper to Miro. "Why are we spying on her?"

"Because," he whispers. "Look at her! She keeps sniffing and tasting all this stuff. What if she's trying to make a poison or something, so she can kill all of the useless people so it'll be easier to escape or something?"

"Olee wouldn't do that," I shake my head.

"Yea, and I would never be captured and forced into a crazy TV show where all of us end up dying," Miro rolls his eyes. "Oh, wait, I have been."

"I can hear you guys, you know," Olee states very loudly, keeping her eyes on her work.

"Sorry," I say, getting up and walking over to her. "Uhm… Miro is just getting paranoid, that's all."

"That's okay," Olee says, now looking at us. "It's only natural."

"What exactly are you making, anyway?" Miro asks her.

"Uhm…" Olee stutters. "Well, I'm trying to, err, make a poison."

"I knew it!" Miro exclaims.

"Yea, but it's for the guards," Olee says. "I don't know. I'm just trying to make something we all can use."

"How do you know how to make poison?" Chiva asks.

"Well," Olee says. "My master and I are healers. I mean, I can do other stuff, but that's our main talents. So I know what leaves and such to use to make healing potions and that sort of thing. That also means I know how to make poisons, because what if I accidentally created a poison instead of a medicine? I have to learn which things are used for medicines, and what will create something deadly. So, I'm trying to make that… kind of. It's not really working."

"The plants are different," Chiva suggests.

"I guess," Olee says. "Anyway, are we going to find the others are try to get out of here or not?"

"Alright," I say. "Let's get the move on."

All of us start our walk, looking for the others. Passing by a large rock, in the corner of my eye, I believe to see Xero, peering at us through the shadows. I gasp and turn around. "What is it?" Chiva asks, alarmed.

"N-nothing," I say, when I get a closer look of the rock. "I just… thought I saw Xero. But it was just my nerves."

"You sure?" Miro asks.

"Yes," I nod my head. "Let's continue."

As we continue our walk, Miro seems to get distracted, like something in the Force is telling him to stop. Without saying anything, he goes over to the right side of us, deeper into the forest. We call after him, following him, and find him touching the air, like there is something there.

"Guys," he says. "Look at this. It's some sort of force field."

All of us start touching the air, until we feel some sort of invisible barrier. It's smooth and cool, and completely see through. If Miro hadn't sensed it, none of us would think that anything was there.

"It's thin," Miro says, his hands still on the barrier. "I think with all of our combined strength, we could break through it using the Force. We just need everyone to help pitch in."

"Do you think we could use tools to help break through it somehow?" I ask.

"I don't know," he says. "I think the main generator is on top of the sky, controlling this. I think if we destroyed that somehow, we'd have a better chance of breaking this invisible barrier."

"Right," I say. "I'll go climb up those trees and see if there is such a generator up there. Chiva, Olee, I think you guys should go find the others, while Miro, you should stay here, so we know where the exact barrier is. You seem to be the only one who can sense it."

"Yes," Miro agrees.

"We'll be right back," Olee says. "Come on, Chiva, let's do this!"

Grinning, both of the girls run away, looking for the others. Using the Force, I jump up onto a high branch of the tree, and leap through the air, hopping from branch the branch until finally, I am on top of the tree, peering through the leaves of the canopy. Up in the clear blue sky, I do not see any generator, nor do I see the barrier. I close my eyes, trying to concentrate. Through the Force… I can faintly make out a generator… right where the sun is. Yes, it's invisible, but it is there. I raise my hand, trying to break it somehow with the Force. I can feel it trembling, but my Force powers alone cannot do anything to it. I'll need the help of the others. I hop back down onto the forest floor, where Chiva, Olee and the others, Magsa, Aya, Violet and Tito, wait for me.

"The generator is up there," I say. "It's invisible, but you can faintly make it out through the Force. I think we could break it using the Force on it, but I'll need a few of you to help me."

"Two of you go up there with Ahsoka," Miro commands. "The rest of you, you guys help me. I have a feeling that this whole arena is an illusion. If we break the invisible barrier, I think we'll just end up in a huge, empty room. Save up your strength, because if that's the case, we'll need as much as possible to escape."

"Right," Olee nods. "I'll go up with Ahsoka. Who's coming with me?"

"I will," Tito raises his hand slightly.

"Good," Miro nods. "The rest of you, put your hands here and focus."

I hop up the tree branches, leading the way for Tito and Olee. Once we're up at the top of the canopy, I point up to the sun, telling them to concentrate on it. All of us close our eyes and focus on the sun.

"I can kind of sense it," Tito says. "But it's really faint."

"It'll have to do," I say. "Raise your hands and use the Force on it. It will break if we apply enough pressure onto it."

Raising our hands, we use the Force on the generator. I can feel it tremble slightly at first, and the trembling grows greater and greater, almost ready to burst. "Go harder," I command, and we do so. The trembling becomes so great that finally, it bursts, sending out a huge shock wave and an ear piercing, sharp, high pitched buzz. The shock wave and the buzz catches us off guard, and pushes us down off of the canopy of the trees and forces us down onto the cold, hard ground, knocking the wind out of us. Slowly opening my eyes, I can see the invisible barrier start to flicker on and off. I can faintly hear Miro cry that it's working, when a large, booming voice fills the air.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" it cries. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

Sitting up causes agonizing pain, but I manage to do so, looking around for where that voice has come from. Everything seems so tipsy turvy; that shock wave must have done something to Tito, Olee and me. My mind seems to be spinning around and knocking onto my skull, my vision has become blurred, and I feel sick to my stomach. I can faintly make out Xero appearing from the shadows. Somehow, his voice is the only one I can hear clearly.

"How _DARE _you disobey me!" Xero screams. "You were not supposed to do this! _THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! _I specifically told you that you all must do what I say! Because _I'M _THE ONE WHO ABDUCTED YOU! _I TELL YOU WHAT TO DO! YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THIS!"_

My heart pounding and my head spinning, I suddenly feel my stomach lurch. I instantly vomit all over myself, a disgusting, foul smelling green, chucky liquid that is mixed with blood.

"You shall ALL BE PUNISHED!" Xero cries. "All of you! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!"

"Run!" I can hear Magsa cry, and it seems to echo through my skull, repeating, "_Run! Run! Run!" _getting repeatedly louder. The other padawans start running, and I realize that I should be, too, or else something bad will happen to me. I try to get up, causing my legs to burn, and once I stand, the ground feels like it is bouncing up and down and my legs feel like rubber. In the corner of my eye, I notice that Olee and Tito are still on the ground, unable to get up themselves. "Move," I mumble, my words slurred. "We have to go now."

Turning away from them, I start running, almost tripping over every little pebble and twig, still feeling like I'm a boat being tossed and turned in a huge, ocean storm. _"Run! Run! Run!" _Magsa's voice echoes through my head. _"Run! Run! Run!"_

"I am," I mumble, my feet starting to grow weaker. Blurry guards come out from distorted shadows, aiming pointy things at the people who run. A large, booming gunshot comes out from the pointy things… are they guns? They must be. A blurry Magsa falls to the ground when a red bullet hits her in the back.

_"Run! Run! Run!" _Magsa's cries still echo my head, even when a blaster bolt has silenced her.

More gunshots ring through the air, causing my already throbbing head to hurt more. A shape that appears to be Violet Duer falls to the ground when a blaster bolt hits her calf. More enter her as she falls to the ground. I can't seem to stop running. Why is everything so fuzzy? Violet's corpse… it was over a hundred yards away from me! Right? But now it seems to be getting closer and closer… I trip over it, causing myself to hit my head on the way down to the ground. Something foul hits my nostrils. Is that coming from Violet's body? Or is it the vomit on the front of my shirt? Either way, my stomach lurches and I puke up whatever is remaining, though this time, the vomit is redder.

"_Run!" _Magsa's voice starts to scream in my head. _"RUN! RUN! RUN!"_

My eyes roll up to the sky, and I watch as Xero walks over to me, glaring down at me. More gunshots. I wonder if anyone else is dead.

_**"RUN!" **_Magsa's voice screams even louder. _**"RUN! RUN!"**_

"You're pathetic," Xero glares down at me. That rings through my head, too. _"Pathetic. Pathetic. Pathetic."_

"No…" I mumble, my words still slurred. "No… I need to run…"

_**"RUN! **__Pathetic. __**RUN!" **_the voices seem to join together, making my temples throb. _"Pathetic… Pathetic… __**RUN! RUN! YOU'RE PATHETIC."**_

"I guarantee," Xero tells me. "Because of this pathetic stunt… the rest of your pathetic little life will be _hell."_

_ **"RUN! RUN! YOU'RE PATHETIC… PATHETIC… RUN! RUN!"**_

Xero kicks me in the head with his boot, causing my blurry world to go black, and causing the voices in my head to go silent.


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry for the late update._

_Also, please notice that I may not update for at least a week due to the fact that I'll be on vacation.  
_

Chapter Twelve

_Chiva Creena's POV_

When I awaken, the first thing I notice is my throbbing calf, and I'm unable to figure out why it hurts so much. I remember, however, after a few minutes of straining my head, causing a slight headache, I was shot there, causing the world to die out. Yes, I was shot, because we tried to escape. Ahsoka, Olee, and Tito went up into the trees to destroy the generator that kept us in, while the rest of us stayed below and tried to destroy the force field. The generator was successfully destroyed, however it caused a huge shock wave that left Ahsoka, Olee and Tito disabled. Xero had come from the shadows, as he always seems to, outraged, and had his guards attack us when we run. Ahsoka had gotten up, despite being disabled, while Olee and Tito stayed on the ground, rolling on their sides groaning, crying out for their masters. Ahsoka had done some other strange stuff… she had started mumbling stuff to herself while she wobbled around. The rest of us, the ones who were not disabled, ran away when they brought out the guns. It was complete madness. Magsa was the first one to be killed, going out quickly with one clean shot, while for Violet; it took many shots for her to be killed. I can still remember the shrillness of her shrieks. I don't remember what had happened to the rest of us, I had been long gone at that point. The last thing I can remember clearly is being shot in the calf, and then feeling a needle touch my arm, causing my world to go blurry. Was I tranquilized? Perhaps that is the cause of my aching head.

I take a good look at my surroundings once the fog clears from my eyes. The remainder of us, Ahsoka, Olee, Tito, Aya, and Miro, lie unconscious in some sort of circle, or oval. We lie in a white room, completely white, almost as perfect as a sheet of old fashioned paper. You cannot see any lights of any type, nor any doors, you cannot even tell where the floor ends and the walls begin. It's strange and eerily. Around the wrists of the others, I notice something small and silver, like a bracelet, or maybe a shackle. Then I notice it on my own wrist. Yes, it is like a shackle, pure metallic silver, with only a small black beam circling around it. Some sort of communication device, perhaps? Before I can figure it out, Aya's blond head bobs up, confused.

"What?" she mumbles. "What… what's going on? Where are we?" She notices her wrist. "What's this? What's this thing for?"

"No idea," I shrug.

"What happened?" she asks, rubbing her head.

"The generator exploded," I respond. "And then the guards came out and attacked us. Don't you remember?"

"I remember yelling…" she says. "And then a needlepoint. I didn't know what was going on. Hey… where's Magsa and Violet?"

"They're dead," I say. "The guards shot them to death, because they ran."

She bangs her fist on the ground. "I hate this!" she cries. "Why must we be punished? We did not kill the Daughter! This is not our fault!"

"Xero's a maniac," I say darkly. "And mentally insane."

Aya sighs. "Let's wake up the others. Unless they're dead… they are alive, correct?"

"I believe so," I say. "Let's check."

Aya and I go over to the others and shake their shoulders, rousing Miro quickly, but having to take more time with the others. They must still be disabled. Tito awakens first, then Ahsoka, and finally Olee. Even while they are awake, their eyes are glazed over, their words are slurred and they move as if they are very dizzy and sedated.

"How long do you believe they will be like this?" I ask.

"I don't know," Miro says.

"What happened to them?" Aya asks.

"Shock wave," I say. "I think. I don't know why else they would be like this."

"Run… run…" Ahsoka mumbles, nodding her head around. "No… you're pathetic… no, no… I have to run…"

"You're okay now," Aya says, putting her hand on the Togruta's shoulder. "You don't need to run… and you're not pathetic."

"I'll make your life hell…" she mumbles, this time louder. "The rest of your life… pathetic… run… run… RUN!" she suddenly screams. "I HAVE TO RUN!" she screams, still acting as if she were sedated. "I HAVE TO RUN!"

"Calm down," Aya says soothingly, stroking Ahsoka's shoulder. "Don't worry, you're okay now. It's fine." It seems to calm the girl down slightly.

"Master?" Olee calls out. "Master? Master, where are you? Master?"

"You're master isn't here," Miro says. "There's no point in calling for him or her."

"Master!" Tito joins in. "Master, come back! Come back!"

"You're master isn't coming!" Miro says, this time more sharply. "Don't call for him or her! There's no point!"

"Miro," I say. "They can't help it."

"Master!" Olee and Tito chant together. "Master!"

"Shut up!" Miro snaps. "They aren't here! They're not coming. There's no point in crying for them!"

"Master?" Ahsoka mumbles, confused.

"Don't you guys get it?" Miro yells, angered. "They're not coming for us! _They are never ever coming back for us!"_

"Miro!" Aya says. "Calm down! They're just confused."

"But it's true," Miro says, his voice quivering and his starry eyes filling up with tears. "We're on our own now. They're never coming back."

The thought of never seeing Master again sends sharp tears in my eyes, filling my throat with frozen tears, forming a hard lump. I want to protest, saying of course they're coming back for us, but somehow, I can't. Maybe it's because I'd probably start bawling if I tried talking, or maybe it's because of the fact that they have no idea where we are, or maybe it's the fact that the Jedi Council probably doesn't even care enough to send a search party for us, even if they do know about us.

Aya let's out a sharp whimper, tears running out of her green eyes. All of us sit around awkwardly, trying to keep in our emotions like good Jedi, until Olee finally breaks down and starts crying into her eyes. It's like a domino effect, her finally cracking, even if it's probably because of that shock wave. All of us simply start bawling, crying into our palms, biting on our lips to hold back the sobs, and wiping our dripping noses. The disabled cry out for their masters, confused on why they are not with us. My own sobs topple me over, causing my body to shake uncontrollably. When our cries start to fade, we comfort each other, leaning against one another, holding one another's hand until we're all cried out. Truthfully, I feel a lot better once I let out all my emotion. I wonder why the Code forbids releasing your feelings like that.

"Hello, hello, my children," Xero's voice booms, coming from nowhere. It causes another sob to well up in my chest, reminding me that things are not quite okay at the moment. "Did you have a nice slumber? Oh, and it was sweet how you all started crying and comforting each other a few moments ago!" Venom drips from his voice, causing us all to shudder. "Now, you all were very, very bad yesterday. You need to learn a lesson. But, actually, your revolt actually came in handy for me. Isn't that something? Now, here's today's challenge. I'm sure you all will absolutely LOVE IT!" The sickly sweetness in his voice causes tears to well up in my eyes with fear. "Here's how you play. You all notice the cuffs on your wrists? Those are trackers, so the guards know where ever you are, you don't try to… to anything bad. They also serve as a link between you and another one of the players. The ones who are suffering from the shock wave, Ahsoka, Olee, and Tito, you see, aren't going to be able to win in their condition, you see. So, you all are linked to one of them. Now, after I tell you all the rules and who you are linked with, you all, including the disabled, will be released individually into a maze, where you will roam until I find one of you, or the person you are linked with. If I find you… well, you are out, and you will be killed. If I find the person you are linked with, your cuff will start beeping, and you will have to run and find a way out of the maze before I find you, or else you will be killed. If your partner is not found, and you find a way out of the maze, you are fine. If you are the last one in the maze, or your partner is the last one in the maze, I will find you and you will loose. And, also, if you see me, and I come after you, you do have a chance to escape out of the maze. Understood?"

None of us say anything, shocked at the awfulness of the game. Tito calls out, asking where his droid is.

"Here are the people you are linked with," Xero says. "Chiva, you are linked with Ahsoka. Aya, you are linked with Tito. Miro, you are linked with Olee. You all get that?"

We mumble a few yes sirs.

"Good!" he exclaims happily. One the sides of what must be the walls, doors slide open. "Now, each of you go to a door and enter the maze. Oh… and one more thing. Don't try to take off the cuff. It will simply clamp onto you even tighter, squeezing until it takes off your hand. And I'm sure we don't want that, right?"

I feel my stomach lurch slightly as I go to a door on the far right.

"Alright!" Xero says happily. "You may now begin!"

Cautiously, I walk into the maze, the door shutting behind me as I do so. The maze is a very creepy hallway, simple grey floors and walls with dull lights above, barely making any light, but enough to see… to a point. Shadows lurk everywhere.

The hallway stops and branches off in three directions. Shall I go right, left, or continue going forward? I look to the left, peering over the corner. No one there. I peer to the right… no one there. Well, I suppose I could take right. Or left. Or forward. Ugh! I need to get out of this maze! I must choose carefully. Closing my eyes, I try to use the Force to sense where I should go. Hmm… it's iffy, almost as if I have no signal, but going forward or right would be the best choice, it seems. If I go left, I'll either meet a dead end or get lost. Before I make up my mind about choosing right or forward, and slight noise comes from right. I jump, open my eyes and run forward, trying to get away from the noise. I take random twist and turns until I am sure I am far enough away from the noise. Great… now it seems that I am lost. I should have thought more carefully before running. It could have been Ahsoka, after all. If I had found her, at least I would have known that she wouldn't be with Xero. I could've kept her safe.

Okay, just keep calm and carry on. You can do this, Chiva. You can do this. Taking a deep breath, I continue going walking, being forced right and left in twists. Okay, now I need to make a choice. Right or left? It's all up to you… ugh, why did I tell myself that? Another deep breath, Chiva. Just remain in control and keep calm. Deciding to take the right, I continue my path. Right… now take a left… now go forward… It almost becomes automatic. Just tap in with the Force and choose the best option. Perhaps this is why the Jedi do not like fear. It clouds our sense of judgment, making it harder for us to tap in with the Force.

A sudden noise. Like someone has tripped and fell. My heartbeat quickens, but I force myself to stay calm. Take a deep breath and just walk away from it. As I walk, I try to ignore the fact that the person who fell has gotten up and seems to be walking in my direction. Their footsteps make a slight echo; do mine do that, too? I must walk lighter. The dreary lights cause unnecessary shadows, making shapes that could look like people. Human beings, mainly. Then again… half of us _are _human beings. Xero looks like a human being, too. His shadow could easily be mistaken for a human's… The footsteps seem to be getting closer and closer. I faintly notice that I have started walking quite quickly, but the main thing I notice is how my heartbeat echoes in my ear and that the footsteps and shadows are getting closer… I take a sharp right and hide in a dead end, hoping that this is all my imagination. I take deep breaths and count, hugging myself, trying to calm myself and convince myself that there is nothing there. One one-thousand. Two one-thousand. Three one-thousand. Four one-thousand. Five one-thousand. Six one-thousand. Once I get all the way up to ten, I feel calmer and notice the footsteps are gone. Yes, it was all my imagination. Silly me. Now, Chiva, get out of this dead end. You have to keep walking.

Taking a step out, a sudden, high-pitched scream causes me to jump, spin around and scream myself. Eye to eye, I face Aya, the screamer. Realizing it is only I, she seems to calm down slightly, but the poor human girl looks like she is close to hysteria. I, however, run away from her, knowing that with that loud of a scream anyone could have heard, so Xero could know where we are.

When I feel as though I am far enough away from Aya, I continue walking. For five minutes, I am uninterrupted, besides, my dodging shadows and running away from slight sounds. I am making good time, I believe. I hope.

"Hello?" a voice calls. "Who's there?"

I instantly freeze up, unsure of where that voice has come from. I can heart my heartbeat in my ears.

"Who's there…" I whisper.

"It's me, Xero," the voice says. I cover my mouth with my hand, trying to hold back some sort of mixture of a scream and a sob.

"You can probably only hear me from your cuff," he says. I look down at my hand. Yes, with each word he says, the black strip around it blinks red slightly. "Who is this?"

"Why do you need to know?" my voice quivers.

"Because," he says. "It's kind of hard to see here, so I want to know the name of the person I'm looking at."

I let out a scream and starting running away, as fast as my fifteen year old self possibly can. "Calm down!" Xero exclaims, laughing slightly. "I was only teasing. I have no idea where you are."

I'm forced to a stop, gasping for breath and tears running down my eyes. "You filth!" I scream angrily into my cuff. "That's not funny!"

"Sorry," I can almost see the smirk on his face. "I couldn't resist."

I march off, trying to walk away from the scare I've just had, trying to suffocate my urge to throw up, trying to get out of this damned maze. Tears continue to roll down my eyes… my stomach feels like it'll explode and my lungs feel dry. My mind is on constant alert, noticing every crack, every noise, every shadow. Is this what hysteria looks like? Or is this just fear?

"Is that you I see, Chiva?" Xero asks me through my cuff.

"Go rot on Mustafar!" I scream at him.

"No, I don't believe that really is you," he says. "Maybe someone else with a headtail, perhaps?"  
"Ahsoka," I whisper.

"Yes," he says. "I believe that is her. The one you are linked with."

"No!" I cry. I start running through the maze, frantically trying to find Ahsoka before Xero does. "AHSOKA!" I scream. "AHSOKA, RUN!"

I hear a soft scream, one somewhat far away, but one close enough to it possibly be Ahsoka, and much easier for Xero to find me.

"Ahsoka!" I scream. A siren like noise comes from my cuff. He's found her! He's found her! I completely loose it, starting to scream and cry all at once, shaking my hand, as if that would stop the siren noise.

"Where are you, Chiva?" Xero asks darkly. His voice does not come from the cuff.

I scream some more and start running away, frantically, bumping into almost every turn I face due to the tears clouding my vision. Xero's footsteps chase after mine. Slamming hard into a wall, Xero takes that chance to grab my hand. I continue screaming, so hard my voice and lungs start to hurt, almost as if they are bleeding. He pulls me closer to him as I struggle and pull away from him, crying like the little baby I truly am.

"No!" I scream. "No!"

Xero grabs my arm and pulls me toward him, pushing my head onto his chest, covering my mouth as I scream. Being so close to him makes me want to throw up all over him, makes me want to scream even more, to cry, to run. But I can't, somehow. Still keeping me close to him, with his hand still over my mouth, he presses a button on his hand, making the walls of the maze sink into the ground. It actually isn't as big as I thought it was. Everyone looks at us, and gasp. My voice goes down to a mere whimper… my head still forced against his chest, I notice that Xero has a heartbeat. That surprises me. Someone so evil and cruel shouldn't have one of those. But for some reason, it calms me slightly.

"Our little friend," Xero declares. "Chiva Creena, has lost. I found Ahsoka, and I went after her. Did anyone escape the maze?"

No one says anything.

"Nobody?" Xero says, surprised. "You Jedi are so pathetic."

"Pathetic?" Ahsoka mumbles. "You're pathetic?"

"Guards," Xero says. "Take away the rest of them. Leave me alone with the twi'lek."

As the guards come out from doors on the sides of the walls, Ahsoka seems to snap from her fog. "Chiva?" Ahsoka says, her eyes clearing. "Chiva? Chiva! I'm sorry!"

The guards take them all away, and I'm left with the monster. Letting me go, he faces me and looks me in the eye, saying, "You've lost."

"I know," I say quietly.

"It was only a matter of time," he shrugs. Then he grins. "Trust me… it's MUCH better than what I have in store for the other padawans… and for the finale."

"So I should consider myself lucky," I say.

"Yes…" he grins. "What happened to that screaming little girl I knew a few minutes ago?"

I glare at him with rage, even though I know I shouldn't feel such an emotion. "I hate you," I spit.

"That's only natural," Xero shrugs. Some more guards come out from the sides. "You're time is up. It's time to meeting the sucking machine."

The guards come over and grab my hands, leading me out of the room. I struggle slightly, ready to scream, kick, cry, anything that will get me out of here. I will not go down with a fight. I will not let them know that they have won… no! Why should I? This does not concern them. Any of them. It's not their life on the lines. Why should I use my last moments screaming and crying? Why should I buckle and plead for mercy? If this is to be my last moments, then I will spend them calm and collected. I will appreciate that I can still breathe, that I can still see and hear everything, even if it's just for a little while. If I am to die like this, then I will go down not like a scared, frantic child, but with dignity and courage, like a woman. Like a Jedi.

On the aircraft, I sit with pride and bravery, even though small seeds of doubt sprout in my stomach. How painful will this death be? Will the people watching mourn me, or will they simply laugh? I shake those thoughts away from my head. I do not need to speed the rest of my life filled with doubt.

The guards take me to what must be the sucking machine. They strap me down onto a chair facing a glass wall, where Xero waits, watching. Mechanical arms strap needles onto my arms.

"This button here," Xero says, holding up a small remote with a single, red button on it. "Will start the sucking machine. You can either choose to press it yourself, or I can press it."

"I'll press it," I say.

"Ah, a big girl, huh?" he grins manically at me. "Guards. Give Chiva the button."

A woman comes in a places the remote into my hand, in such a way where my thumb in on the red button.

"You have 15 seconds to press it," Xero says. "If you can't, I will. Understood?"

I say nothing. I look down at the button in my hand. If I press it, I will end my life. If he presses it, he will end it. It seems like the best option, me ending my own life, so technically, they will not have killed me. But, the real question is… can I end it myself? Will I be able to be the cause of my own fate? Master always told me I was brave. But now I'm not so sure… I'm going to miss Master. I'll miss her terribly. I think of all the times we've had, and all the times we won't have. All the words I won't be able to say, all the beautiful planets I won't be able to see… I'll never feel sunlight again. I'll never eat food again. I'll never be able to become a Jedi Knight now, something I've tried so hard to do. I feel regret for all of these things, but I don't feel sorrow. I do not have any tears in my eyes or a lump in my throat. I do not need to throw up anymore… I'm not scared, truthfully. Right now, simply, nothing really matters. And perhaps that's the best way to die.

I push the button.


	13. Chapter 13

_I did not update because I'm evil... and had a killer case of writer's block. Grr._

_Enjoy_

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

_Anakin Skywalker's POV_

When we get back into Zenneth's speeder, Elmira shows us a holo map of the planet, Persephone, she says it's called. We are up in the north in the western hemisphere, and the filming location is nearby Xero's palace, which is nearby the equator.

"It's _that far?" _I ask. "We'll never make it in time!"

"Don't worry," Elmira says. "It'll take us probably ten days or so to get there if we take trains and such. How much do you guys have?"

"I brought a hundred," Zenneth says.

"I have fifty," Elmira states. "I doubt the human has anything."

"Hey!" I protest. "Well, it's true."

"Alright then," she nods. "A hundred and fifty will probably get us three train rides."

"Isn't that a bit expensive?" I ask.

"No," Elmira shakes her head. "Not for a train ride, at least. No one can really afford those."

"Oh," I say stupidly. "If we have three train rides… how many days will it take?"

"Hmm…" she thinks, looking at the holo map. "We need five train rides… so probably 15 days or so."

_"15 days?" _I choke. I give Zenneth a look, who looks equally alarmed. "That long? We don't have that much time!" Quickly I think of how many padawans are left… three are dead so far, that makes ten. Another could be dead at this very moment due to the filming.

"Of course we do," Elmira says. "They're filming the other TV show right now, remember? Yours hasn't started yet."

Oh, right. Elmira doesn't know that Ahsoka's my padawan.

"Yes, but, at the rate the padawan TV show is going," I explain. "It'll probably end soon. So we don't have much time."

"Yes," Zenneth chimes in. "So is there any way we can get there sooner?"

"We could take longer train rides," Elmira shrugs. "But those cost more."

I groan angrily. Ahsoka could be dead for all I know, and there's nothing I can do about it! I hate keeping her fate in the hands of others… she needs to stay safe, with _me._

"Let's just do what we can," Zenneth says. "We're wasting time."

"Agreed," I mumble, annoyed. Zenneth shoots me a glare, obviously say, _Hey, buddy, we're doing all we can. You can at least ACT grateful!_

Zenneth drives us to the nearest train station, which is at least a good half hour away from us. As each minute ticks away, I start to feel more and more jumpy and angry… though I do my best to keep both my fear and hate nestled deep inside my stomach, where it won't hurt anyone. Except me, I guess. Feeling this helpless is driving me crazy. When we reach the train station, Zenneth hands me a cloak to hide my un-pointed teeth and ears, my lack of tilted eyes and the fact that I have pupils in them. I keep my head down at all cost, avoiding eye contact. There's nothing more suspicious than a human, Zenneth tells me.

Elmira decides to use most of our money for the train ride, so we'll go farther in a shorter amount of time. However, we'll have less money, so we must use as little as possible.

When the train starts us, we all sit quietly; Elmira fiddling with her locket, Zenneth watching the TV that hangs from the wall, me looking outside, watching trees and buildings disappear as we speed pass them.

"So," Elmira says after an awkward pause, smiling. "Do you guys want any food?"

"No," I say, a bit to angrily. When Zenneth and Elmira give me a look, I quickly add, "It'll cost money, right?"

"No," she shakes her head. "It comes with the train ride. When we pay for the ride, you see, we also-"

"Okay, I get it," I interrupt sharply.

They both keep quiet, and I continue watching the outside. As time goes on, bad thoughts start creeping in my mind, even though I try my best to keep them away. Thoughts of worry, self-pity, hatred, fear… they torment me. I can't believe I was stupid enough to let Ahsoka out of my sight. I should've known something awful like this would've happened… if it could happen to anyone, it could definitely happen to Ahsoka. I can't believe I didn't realize that! And she wonders why I'm so "overly protective". Well, do you understand now, Ahsoka? I have to keep an eye on you at all times… or else this will happen to you, and then you'll die. And it'll be my entire fault. Force, I swear, if that Xero guy hurts her at _all…_

"Anakin," Zenneth asks, breaking me from my thoughts. "You alright?"

"Fine," I spit.

"You sure?" he asks. "You look a little edgy."

"What makes you say that?" I ask, then I notice. I've been squirming around, tapping my feet and drumming my fingers. Do I always do that? "Oh," I say. "Uh, sorry."

"It's fine," Elmira smiles. "I think it's cute."

This kind of rubs off me the wrong way for some reason. "Gee, thanks," I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Seriously, guy," Zenneth says. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"Positive," I say.

"Because," Elmira adds. "You can always talk to us if you need to. We know it must be hard, and we know that it hurts, so remember, you can-"

"I said I'm fine!" I say, a bit too loudly. A few others give us looks.

Elmira and Zenneth decide to leave me alone for the rest of the day. They don't ask me if I'm hungry, they don't ask me if I'm tired, they don't ask me if I need to talk… they just pretend that I'm not even there. They order lunch and dinner without asking if I want any, they whisper plans to each other like I'm not there. And I hate it. I wish they would bother me with stupid questions, or pester me to eat something. What's wrong with me? I snap at them whenever they say something to me, and then I get even angrier when they don't say anything to me.

Both of them fall asleep around midnight, leaning against each other. I force myself to stay awake and watch the TV, afraid of the dreams I might face if I do fall asleep. Not to mention I can be pretty loud when I cry in my sleep, and I don't want to wake up anyone. As I watch the news and the recaps of the latest episode of that horrific TV show, an attendant offers me a warm drink, which I accept. I drain it in almost no time, and finally let my heavy eyelids rest, drifting off into a deep, achy slumber. I have a nightmare about being in a dark room; so dark I can't see my hand when I lift it up in front of my face. I try to get out, I try to scream for help, but no one comes.

I wake up at around noon. I must have not cried in my sleep if Elmira and Zenneth didn't wake me… though I wish they had, anyway. The walls of that dark little room seemed to get closer and closer, trying to crush me.

"Good morning," Elmira smiles at me. "Err… well, good afternoon, I mean."

"You slept well," Zenneth remarks.

"Kind of," I say, growling slightly. "Have they shown the newest episode yet?"

"Uhm… yes," Zenneth says awkwardly.

"Is Ahsoka okay?" I say quietly, trying not to draw attention to us by saying that name.

"Kind of," Zenneth shrugs.

I feel a panic well up in my chest. "What happened?" I ask, trying hard to mask the fear that's choking my voice.

"Two of them died in the horror realities," Elmira says. "From shock, I guess. That was Nee Mallik and Rye Nam. After, the rest played their challenges, but when they were put into the arena, they… tried to revolt."

"Everything started going crazy," Zenneth says. "Ahsoka, Tito, and Olee tried to break the generator that kept them in, but they were hit by a shock wave… which causes extreme head trauma, nausea, and dizziness. They were disabled and confused. Everyone else started running away from the guards. Two of them were gunned down and killed."

"Violet Duer," Elmira adds. "And Magsa Heper."

"There's only six of them left now," Zenneth says sadly.

I feel my shoulders sag. It's been, what? Three days? And already over half of them are gone. At the rate this show is going… how will we be able to rescue them? For all I know, they could all be dead right now. And if they aren't… is Ahsoka? Zenneth said that the "shock wave" causes extreme head trauma… even if I can manage to rescue her, will she be forever lost? What if I can't rescue her, and her head trauma causes her death because she's either too confused to play the games or the trauma will actually cause her to go brain dead?

_See? _I can hear a voice tell me. _That's why you can never let her out of your sight. Something like this will happen! No one else would protect her… it was up to you. And you blew it._

"Don't worry," Elmira smiles sheepishly. "She'll be fine. We'll get to her." It takes me a moment to realize that she thinks I'm upset that this show is going quickly, and it'll mean that the show that my "daughter" is in will start soon.

"How?" I say. "You said it would take at least 15 days to get there!" I raise my voice, causing a few others to stare at us awkwardly.

"I've found a way to get there in less than a week," she says, un-rattled by my angry tone.

"Yes, we did," Zenneth says, giving me a look that says, _Shut your mouth, now. People are staring._

"How come I didn't know about this?" I say, this time more quietly but with equal anger. I cross my arms and glare as Elmira says, "Well, you seemed kind of cranky… so we gave you space…"

"Well I deserve to know this kind of thing!" I say, fighting the urge to shout.

"We were going to tell you," Elmira says. "We didn't know you would care so much."

"Yea, but I do!" I say. "I do care! I care a lot, actually. I deserve to know this kind of thing!"

"Calm down, Anakin," Zenneth says between clenched teeth. "People are staring."

"I'm just saying," I say. "I'm a part of this team, so I deserve to know whatever goes on."

"Look, we're sorry," Elmira says. "Right, Zenneth?" he nods. "See? We're sorry. It won't happen again."

I want to keep arguing, to yell at Elmira for treating my like a child, to complain about how they're ignoring me, but something inside me tells me that I should keep quiet, that they truly are sorry and that I should forgive them. Right now, I feel like I'm arguing with Obi-Wan, when I know that I'm wrong and he's completely right, but I'm as sure as hell not going to admit that.

"Fine," I finally say. "As long as it doesn't happen again."

"Yay!" Elmira is all smiles. "We're all friends again!" She wraps her arms around both Zenneth and me, pulling us closer in a tight squeeze, one that makes my shoulders ache.

After releasing her iron grip on both of us, she explains to me that once we get off the train, there will be a large mountain range in our way, and going around will take days, so, instead, she's decided that we should go _through _the mountain range, and that she's discovered a route that will take less than a week to get through. We'll have to go through long, rough nights will little sleep, she tells me, but if I really want to get there before the show my daughter is on starts, it'll be the best we can do.

"Is that fine?" Elmira asks.

"Yea," I mumble. "That's fine. I don't really sleep much, anyway."

We spend the rest of the day on the train ride, not speaking, not making plans or pestering me about my "feelings" or whatever. Honestly, I think I don't like talking about them because I always keep them bundled up inside of me, until they're all mixed up and I can't remember who I'm angry at anymore… they're all just so confusing. I guess I hate talking about them because I'm not exactly sure what I'm feeling. As we all eat dinner quietly, I try to sort them all out. I'm angry because… Ahsoka's in trouble. I'm angry because we're running out of time and we might not save her. That's also why I'm scared, I believe. I'm also angry because it doesn't feel like Zenneth or Elmira understands. Or am I feeling more upset because of that? Maybe I just feel misunderstood. Maybe I'm angry because I think Zenneth should understand but it doesn't seem like he does. Okay, I'll figure out that one later… okay, let's see. I'm angry because Ahsoka's in trouble. I'm angry and scared that we're running out of time to save her. What else? I'm angry with that man named Xero. I also hate him. I also hate myself because it's my fault that Ahsoka's in this mess…

My jaw clamps shut on my sandwich, feeling it stick to the roof of my mouth and my throat. I grab my glass of water and take a large gulp, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat, which either formed because of that stupid sandwich or emotion. Maybe both. As the icy water trickles down my throat, I feel it create icicles, stinging my throat and causing a cool pool in the bottom of my stomach. As the pool forms, I feel my chest tighten up, my cheeks get hot and my eyes sting. I try to convince myself that's happening because of the food.

As the train stops, we take all of our things and get off the ride. Once the train leaves, I take a good look around at our surroundings. Like Elmira said, we're in the mountains, the air crisp and cold, much easier to breath than the stuffy train air. As I fill my lungs with the cool air, I look out at the tips of the mountains, covered with snow and clouds, the sun peering through the grey sky. It's the type of place I'd love to go on vacation. Maybe this will be good for me; this place will help me clear my head.

"Where to now?" Zenneth asks.

"We start up that way," Elmira says, pointing at one of the paths up the mountain. "There'll be a hover bus station there, where we can get a ride for cheap. After that, we'll continue on foot."

"Sounds like a plan," I say, and we all head up the path.

As we head up higher and higher on the mountain, the air gets thinner and more fragile. Every time I take in a breath, I'm afraid I might actually break the air. I start to wonder how high we actually are up in the air, and how high a hover bus station (whatever a hover bus is) could be. Perhaps they are created to be in such climates? I don't know, nor do I ask.

As I breathe in the sharp, thin air, I start to wonder what Padme and Obi-Wan are doing. I wonder if they're thinking of me, if they're wondering where I am or what I'm doing. I wonder if they're afraid something bad as happened to me. Are they looking for me? Do they stay up all night, thinking of me, and spend every other waking hour they have searching maps for possible planets I might be on? That's probably what I would do, anyhow, so I can only hope that they're doing the same. Or maybe they think I'm dead. They think I'm dead and they've already had a funeral for me, going with boo hoos, saying oh, what a terrible fate the supposed Chosen One has faced. Perhaps time travels differently on this planet of Persephone, so it's already been months back home; years even. Maybe they've all moved on. Obi-Wan's found a new best friend, perhaps has even taken up another padawan; Padme's found a new husband, one she can actually hold hands with in public. The Jedi Council probably breathed a sigh of relief. I know they think I'm complicated, cocky, overly emotional, quick to anger… they're probably happy someone like me is gone so I won't ruin the Jedi Order's reputation. Yes, everything is probably great and dandy back home with me "dead". I'm just another problem that needs solving. I get in the way of everything…

Ugh, why do I let those thoughts creep upon me? I need to stop thinking so much. Thoughts like these can drive a man mad.

"Anakin, hello?" Elmira waves her hand in front of my face. "Come on, we have to get on the hover bus now."

Her words cause me to snap back to reality. She and Zenneth wait in front of some sort of vehicle, one that floats above the ground.

"Sorry," I say. "I was lost in my thoughts."

We all get onto the hover bus and plunk down in the nearest seat, my being in the middle of the two. As the hover bus starts up and drives away, Zenneth asks me, "Are you alright? You seem to be a bit distracted."

"I was just thinking," I say simply.

"Of what?" he asks gently.

The word comes out of my mouth before I can stop it. "Home," I say, my voice choked with emotion. Funny how such a simple word can cause such pain.

"Oh," he says, understanding. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," I say automatically.

"Okay," he says. "May I ask, what's your home like?"

I pause slightly. Truthfully, when I said "home", I meant "my galaxy". Honestly, there isn't any real place that feels like my home. But, I suppose my galaxy could be considered my home, since I'm always in it and all. I consider answering his question, and then say, "It's troubled."

"How so?" Elmira joins in.

"There's a war going on," I say. "It's in a bad condition. People don't get along… people die."

"Oh," Elmira says. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay," I say. "I mean… I'm kind of used to it. I've always been in troubled places."

"What do you mean?" Zenneth asks.

Uh, oh. How can I explain that without telling my whole story? I don't want to tell them that. "I, uh," I say. "I just… have."

"Alright," Elmira says. "You want to-"

"No," I say.

"Okay then," Elmira says.

I hate this silence we all have between us. When we're not making plans, we're not saying anything. I suppose we could talk more if I did talk about my past or whatever's on my mind… but, why should I be the one to start the conversations? I just don't want to blubber on and on about my past. Hell, I don't even want to _think _about it, much less than talk about it. Why can't they start their own conversations? They need to speak more, or else my mind will wander… my imagination is too powerful for my own good. I wonder what I should say, though honestly, I have never really been good in social situations. But I have to at least try. I don't want to think about all this anymore.

"So," I say awkwardly. "Nice hover bus."

"Yea," Zenneth says. "Very float-y."

Well, that didn't go anywhere.

"Hey, Elmira," I say. She looks at me. "That's… uh, a pretty necklace. Where did you get it?"

"Oh, around," she shrugs. "Nowhere special… or anywhere you would know. Thank you, anyway."

"You're welcome," I say. It gets quiet for a moment again.

"Are you alright?" she asks.

"Fine," I say.

"You seem strange," she says.

"Maybe that's just my personality," I say, rather sarcastically. Why am I getting so angry at her?

"Damn, Anakin," Zenneth says, obviously getting fed up with my attitude. "Why do you have to snap at everything we say? We're just worried about you. You know, we don't _have _to be helping you. You could at least try to act pleasant."

"Sor-ree," I say, feeling my frown deepen. "That I'm not a constant joy to the world at all hours."

"I'm just saying," he says. "You could at least treat us with a little respect."

"_I _should?" I say. "_You're _the ones who pester me over every little thing I say! I can't say, 'I'm hungry' without you guys thinking I'm about to have a nervous breakdown!"

"Because you're practically on the edge of one at every moment!" Zenneth says, raising his voice.

"Come on, guys," Elmira says quietly and coolly. "There's no need to get angry."

"Shut up, Elmira," I snap at her.

"See? See?" Zenneth exclaims. "_This _is what I'm talking about!"

"Fine," I say. "If I'm such a such a pain to be around, then I'll go find my daughter by myself!" At that note, I shove Elmira aside and get up, telling the hover bus driver to stop, that I have to get off now. Zenneth and Elmira yell after me, following me as I start walking out in the rocky, snowy landscape.

"Don't just stomp away from us!" Zenneth yells after me, trying to catch up with my quick pace. "I didn't go halfway across the world just for you to leave us!"

"Well, I didn't ask for my daughter to be kidnapped by that psycho 'Xero'!" I exclaim, turning around and stopping to face him. "But it happened anyway, didn't it? So if I can manage, so can you."

"Enough, you two!" Elmira says, coming between us. "I understand that we're all tired and frustrated about the situation, but I think that if we all take a couple of deep breaths and then just explain…"

"What's to explain?" I interrupt. "I don't have anything to say. _You guys _are the ones with the problems."

Just as Zenneth begins to raise his voice, Elmira cuts him off by saying, "Look, we know what you're dealing with. We just want to help you."

"You don't know what I'm going through," I say, my voice hushed with anger. I can't stand to look at either of them anymore, my eyes dart to the ground. "You have no clue about anything of me."

"Please," Elmira says, her voice actually sounding disgusted and annoyed. "I know you."

"No you don't," I yell, looking at her now. "You have no idea what it's like, to loose someone you care about, or what it's like to be unsure when the next time you'll see them will be."

"Yes I do," she says darkly, stepping away from the two of us slightly. She sits down on a nearby rock, looking resentful, and, well, slightly evil. "I've seen unspeakable things. Things the government forbids us to talk about. When I was merely 18 months old, my older brother was kidnapped by Xero and killed on TV. My parent's refused to pay their taxes after that; they were so angered and offended. The government chased us down; we had to escape from city to city. I don't remember where we were at the time, but I watched as the authorities bashed in the heads of my parents while they slept on the same pillow, only inches away from mine. After that, they threw their bodies into the ocean. Nobody knew, nobody saw." She looks up at us, her brown eyes full of hatred, looking as cold as the air I breathe at this very moment. "Sometimes I question if that really happened. Two people are killed in the dead of night. No one sees. Did it actually happen?"

Zenneth and I merely stare at her, both of us at a loss of words. In the back of my head, I can hear a voice say, _I told you so, _to Zenneth. Wanted to know about my past, now, did he? Well, he heard Elmira's, and he can't think of one word to say. Doesn't seem likely that he'll think of something to say if I told him my own story, does it?

Zenneth finally shakes his head, looks at me, and states softly, "See, Anakin? Both of us know what you're going through. We've even been through worse things than you have. We'll get whatever you're feeling right now."

"I doubt you've seen worse," I say quietly.

"Did you just _hear _what Elmira just said?" Zenneth's voice rises to a shout. "I honestly doubt you've been through worse!"

"It's okay," Elmira says, her voice suddenly getting quiet and cheerful again. "It's no big deal. I'm over it."

I stare at her in shock. The words suddenly start to pour out of my mouth, and I can't seem to stop. "_Over it?" _I scream. "How can you be OVER IT? You know, maybe it DIDN'T happen! Maybe you just created that whole story up! You're delusional! You're stuck in your happy cutesy 'Elmira World', where everything is perfect, and nobody cries and instead there's just sunshine and rainbows!" My voice starts to fill with sarcasm, the kind of tone I start to use whenever I get into an argument with Ahsoka or Obi-Wan, one that usually ends with my hurting their feelings harshly.

"Enough!" Zenneth shouts. A moment passes without any of us speaking. "Now," he says. "We're not going to get anywhere by yelling. We need to just calm down and sort this out. So, let me just say, _I'm _angry because every one else is angry. And I think if we just talk, we'll get better, and we can stop wasting time. Now, Elmira, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she says evenly. "Truly."

"Good," he says. Zenneth then looks at me. "Anakin, are you okay? Answer me honestly."

He doesn't sound angry anymore. He sounds like he truly cares. Slightly tired, yes, but his tone is genuine. It fills me with emotions, some of which I can't name. He sounds like he cares. Like he truly cares. Suddenly, whatever I've said or thought before, that he doesn't care or he won't understand, simply vanishes. An over whelming urge to tell him everything crosses me. And when I say everything, I mean everything. The whole story, something I never wanted to speak of, and never thought I would want to speak of. I want to tell him how I was born into slavery, and I want to tell him about how my earliest memory is watching my mother get beaten by one of my first slave masters. I wish to tell him that I was forced to leave my mother behind in order to become a Jedi, and how my status as the assumed "Chosen One" leaves a lot of stress on my shoulders. That when I was a child, I only had a few friends in the entire Jedi Order, and even those hardly counted. Obi-Wan was my closest friend… and even he seemed far and distant. He still does. I want to tell them about how I fell in love and I'm not supposed to, how I hate war yet it still seems to draw me into the rush every time. How the mere thought of someone I care about leaving me makes me want to cry. But for some reason, I can't. I can't tell them this. I have no idea if I'm too prideful to speak of it, or if I'm too cowardly to speak of it, or if maybe I share the same mindset as Elmira… that maybe if I don't speak of it, it hasn't happened.

"Yes," I lie. "I'm fine."

Zenneth detects it, but doesn't pester me. Somehow, that makes it worse.

"You're a piece of work, aren't you?" he sighs, but not in a mean way. He genuinely sounds remorseful.

Elmira says we should get going. Zenneth agrees. Zenneth says we need to walk the entire night in order to make up for lost time. We do so. I lag behind, sharp tears filling my eyes as I try to convince myself they're forming because of the cold. But I know why they're really there. I can feel it as the weight of everything I never said rests upon my shoulders and crushes my bruised soul.


	14. Chapter 14

_Ha, ha! I haven't updated in AGES... did you guys miss me?! By the way, gabierules, I lied to you. I decided not to wait for the season premier for inspiration... all I had to do was listen to Inception music! YAY!_

_I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter after that long wait!_

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

_Ahsoka Tano's POV:_

Lying on my mattress, I take in shaky breaths as the room spins around me. I expect a horror reality to form, but for some reason, none come. It's worse this way. I must deal with the guilt of having Chiva's death as my responsibility. Unless she isn't actually dead. My head has been spinning lately, kind of like when I was in a horror reality. Perhaps the whole maze game was just a horror reality. Chiva isn't dead. She's alive and well. In fact, I've just woken up from the reality. Now it's time for breakfast, and now it's time for one of us to die.

For some reason, the blue haired man doesn't come. Maybe I woke up too early? No, I haven't. Or have I? I can't tell anymore. I can't tell if that maze was a horror reality or real life, if I have killed Chiva or not, or if I'm even dreaming or not. I wonder if this whole thing is a dream. Now its just time for Master to wake me up for the next meeting with the Council. Only maybe I'm stuck in the dream, and all I have to is wake up. Yes, that's it! I'm stuck inside a dream, and the only way to awaken is to win this game. I must kill all the others, perhaps. Then I will awaken.

Or… not?

I start to chew on my lip so aggressively that it rips, causing blood to leak out. The blood makes me think. Think of Chiva's death, whether it is real or not, whether she is real or not, and how terrible it must be. I bite even harder down on my lip. Chomp, chomp. Blood fills my mouth, leaving a bitter, metallic taste in it. Blood makes me think. Thoughts lead to fear. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hatred. Hatred leads to pain. Pain leads to the Dark Side of the Force. Maybe this is why the Council wants us to act like emotionless zombies? Thoughts can drive a person mad.

I can't let the darkness inside of me win, though. It's always been there, whether I've known it or not, and it's always been leaking out ever since that incident on Mortis. I've tried to hide it from everyone, including myself, and I think I've been putting on a fairly decent act… however, I haven't fooled myself. I'm selfish. I'm arrogant. I'm cruel, I've murdered others. What was that future vision I had on Mortis?

_"Are you happy child?" _she asked me. _"Your master… does he treat you well?"_

_ "What concern of it is yours?" _I asked it.

_"I am your future. Your potential," _she had said.

_"This is a trick," _I'd said.

_"There is a wildness to you, young one," _she'd said. _"Seeds of the Dark Side planted by your master… do you feel it?"_

_ "No!" _I'd said, lying. _"He is like no other Jedi. Passionate… impulsive… but I trust him with my life!"_

_ "There are many contradictions in you… and in him," _she said. _"Be warned… you may never see your future if you remain his student! LEAVE THIS PLANET!"_

Yes… that was it. The words seem to swirl around my head. The bother me, getting louder and louder until my ears buzz. Are you happy child? There is a wildness to you… there are many contradictions in you… I am your future… contradictions… and in him… seeds of the Dark Side planted by your master. Do you feel it?  
Yes, I do. I do feel them. Sometimes they choke me until I finally let my anger loose. Just like Master. Does he feel like this? He's always been… dark. Disturbed. Angry. Yet at the same time, he could be loving. Though it's been starting to go away… he gets angry. I know that. But other times… when Obi-Wan pretended to die. Master had Force choked the bartender. I had tried to ignore it, brush it off lightly, though it has disturbed me for some time. I've tried to convince myself that he only did that because his emotions were all up and high… but I'm not the same little 14-year-old girl I was when I had first met Master. I'm not stupid anymore.

I lay on my bed, glaring up at the ceiling, trying to block out the ever-present anger and sadness inside of me. Why do the walls seem to be coming in closer? I start to walk around and pace. It gradually becomes faster and faster, until I am running around the room at top speed. I take a turn too quickly; my ankle twists and I fall quickly, skinning my knee. I look cautiously at my ripped tights, the blood seeping through. I wipe it with the back of my sleeve, sit back down against the corner and lean my head on the wall. I focus on the small corner in the ceiling, where some sort of small bug makes a web. I use the Force to screw up its path… not very Jedi like at all…

A huge, random burst of emotion finally explodes from my chest, and I start to sob aggressively, so loud and powerful that I start to shake back a forth, almost as if I were rocking myself like a small child. It's a power sob, one that makes my eyes and vocal chords hurt, and leaves me feeling hopeless and guilty. This is my entire fault. I should have focused better in the maze. Then Chiva would still be alive and well. But it would still be my fault… Chiva may be alive, but if I had been focused, someone else would have died. Because of me. It's all because of me. No matter what I can do, someone's death will be because of me, at least partly.

When I finally begin to calm down, another, terrible thought enters my mind.

What if Master isn't coming back?

This time, I merely freeze up with pain, the tears flowing down as sharp as blades, and strange whimpering noises coming from my throat. He needs to come back. He has to. If he has any decency, then he should at least come and say goodbye. Because he's the one who did this. He's the one who bonded with me, taught me, and possibly have planted those evil seeds inside of me… he should at least come back. Say goodbye before I die. Because if I'm forced to stay here, alone, with those evil thoughts tugging at me, I might loose it. I need closure, at least a little. Tell me he's proud, that I'm a far better Jedi than he ever thought I would ever be. Death won't be so bad if he says that.

Or maybe it will be worse.

Sometime later, I fall asleep. It's a restless sleep, one where I imagine all sorts of ways that Chiva was killed by that evil sucking machine. The blue haired man has to slap me awake because I'm screaming so hard, yet I won't awaken. Once I do, he takes me to the dining room. It's so empty; there are only five of us left. How many days have we been here? Three? Four? I can't remember, however, I know it hasn't been long. That's enough information to know, and it disturbs me.

Xero calmly walks into the room, not saying anything. He sits down and starts eating, which we take as the signal to eat as well. It's long while before any of us say anything, in which Xero breaks the silence saying, "Did you have a fun time last night?" he grins manically at us.

"I had a dream about Chiva dying," I say suddenly, before I can stop the words from flowing.

Xero smiles at me. I shudder.

"Are you all excited for the next competition?" he asks. We don't respond. "I see," he says, grinning again. "Don't worry, this one won't involve points like the last ones. In fact, this one is very, very long." His smile deepens, his dark eyes glowing like hot embers. "I'm sure you all will simply love it. It's to _die _for."

Tito chokes on his milk.

"Come now," Xero says, standing up. "Let's begin the challenge." He signals for us to stand up, and we do so, following him out the room as the guards walk around us.

Xero takes us to another aircraft outside, forcing us onto it. I can sense the other's fear so well, it's almost as if I can hear their heartbeats in my ears. We all sit down on the benches in the aircraft, close together, not wanting to face this alone for even a second. Five guards approach us, holding strange, small silver bracelets. Xero speaks to us as the aircraft takes off.

"These cuffs," he says as the guards put them on each of our wrists. They're made of metal, similar to our last ones; they even have the same black screen on them. However, this time on the black screen are five glowing red dots. "Are to stay on your wrists at all times," Xero explains. "If you take them off, they will enclose onto your wrist until it's cut off, like the last ones. And we don't want that, do we?"

We shake our heads.

"Here are your instructions," Xero says as the guards back away from us. He hands Olee an old fashioned piece of paper. "Memorize them, keep them safe, do whatever you must. They will keep you alive."

Olee opens up the piece of paper, and reads it out loud. "In order to complete the challenge," she says. "You must follow these instructions carefully. When this aircraft lands, you will be stuck inside the arena with only one way to escape. There are two golden keys hidden in the arena, which you must find using clues. The first clue is hidden underneath a blue stone where the fire burns. After you find that clue, it will give you a hint of where the next clue is or where one of the keys are. Once you find all the clues and both of the keys, you will be able to unlock the secret door that will get you out of the arena."

"Sounds simple," Aya says.

"I hate riddles," Tito mumbles.

"You're going to have to learn to love them," Xero smiles darkly, his face full of shadows. "Happy hunting."

A large bang suddenly erupts, causing the aircraft to jolt and all of us dart our attention to the noise. When we look back to where Xero and the guards once stood, they're all gone. The sensation of falling and becoming heavy surrounds the aircraft and us.

"What's happening?" Miro asks frantically.

"Not sure," I say. "Are we falling?"

"I thought the directions said we would land!" Tito exclaims.

"Who cares?" Olee yells. "We have to get out of here!" She points to the doors. "Force push on them until they break!"

Throwing our hands in front of us, we use our combined strength to force the doors to break. It takes a while for them to do so, but they do manage to break open. Miro is about to leap out of them when he gasps and stops.

"We are _really _high up," Miro he says shakily.

The rest of us look down. The landscape is barely visible; there is no possible way that any of us would make that jump.

"Let's just wait for a little," Aya says.

"Why can't we just find the controls?" Tito asks.

Olee points back to the seats, showing how there is a dead end. "We're blocked off from the controls. We've never been near them. How are we supposed to get to them?"

I think for a second, and suddenly say, "I know a way. Just stay here."

Before anyone can protest, I grab the top ledge of the door leading to the outside. Then, I hoist myself up onto the top of the ship and run across it, trying to find the window of the control booth. It's difficult with the wind pulling on me, and the air pressure drastically changing by the seconds, but I manage to get to the windows without flying off. Perhaps I should've had one of the boys do this, they're heavier than me and would have had an easier time, but there's no going back. I have to do this. I need to become one with the Light again.

Using the Force to crack open the windows, I leap inside the control booth and search around for the control pad. Once I find it, I almost start to cry from the frustration and pressure. It's broken. Everything is broken. Some of it is steaming and charred, like it exploded, others look like they're been shot by blasters, and some are just plain old broken. Nothing works; not even life support. Jumping out of the window and on top of the aircraft, I find Tito and Olee up on there as well, looking for me.

"What's the matter?" Tito shouts over the wind.

"It's all kriffed up!" I say angrily. "Everything is broken!"

"Everything?" Olee asks uncertainly.

"Yep," I say. "We have no way of landing this thing."

Tito swears under his breath. He and I then look over the edge as Olee tells the others that the control system is broken. The ground is getting closer and closer. We're going to have to jump if we want to somehow survive.

As Aya and Miro climb up top with us, I shout to others that we're going to have to jump soon, or else we'll all be fried. None of us want to take this leap of faith, put when Miro jumps first, we all follow suit, and the experience the sensation of falling. Feeling the air prick my skin, causing tears to fall from my eyes and my ears to burn. Feeling weightless, completely light and free, and feeling that dread in the pit of your stomach, that knowing that this weightless feeling will instantly vanish once you hit the ground. You'll become as heavy as a planet, feeling the weight of the whole universe on your small body when you lay on the ground. It's as if gravity stops working when you fall, but once you hit the ground, it starts up again, full force.

Luckily, we have the Force to slow down the crush of gravity when we hit the ground. Instead of crashing, we lightly hit the ground. Before the large airship can fall upon us, we run away as fast as possible, watching a large, fiery explosion engulf the ship far away. Once this happens, we can finally take a good look at our surroundings. It's a landscape similar to Wasskah, a Trandoshan moon where I was held hostage with three other padawans not to long ago. We were forced into a sick game, where the Trandoshans were the hunters and we were the prey. One not so different than the game I am in right now.

"So, now what?" Tito wonders out loud as the boom of the explosion starts to stop.

"Well," Olee says, taking the paper out of the folds in her tattered robes. "We need to find a key or a clue, and it says here that the first clue is located under a blue stone where the fires burn."

"I don't know what that means," Aya says.

"Well who would?" Tito shouts angrily.

"Calm down," I say, trying to keep everyone's, including my own, sanity in place. "Obviously we have to go to someplace that's warm or full of fire. Maybe a volcano?"

"I don't see any," Miro looks around at the horizon, seeing nothing that looks similar to one.

"Well there has to be something," Olee says.

"Unless they're trying to mess with us," Tito says darkly, under his breath. We all shoot him a look. "What?!" he says. "They didn't tell us that the aircraft was going to crash and explode!"

"Just saying," Olee says. "Try to be a bit more positive, okay? We're going to get out of this."

"How do you know?" Tito asks.

"I don't," Olee says.

"Exactly."

"That's my point! Have a little hope, will you?"

Before Tito can say anything else, Miro chimes in and says, "Where do we start? We'll need to find a way to find a fiery or warm place, and we don't want to head in the wrong direction and get lost."

I don't have any answers, even though I know I should. I can already see Master shaking his head, disappointed. Olee starts saying that perhaps we should split up, going in two different directions and meeting up back here, and then Aya interrupts, whimpering, "Guys, I have a bad feeling about this."

"We all do," Olee says. "But-"

"No," she says. "I mean I think I heard something. Something…"

"It's probably just your nerves," Tito says, looking equally nervous, as if he's trying to keep himself calm as well. "Nothing to worry about. Happens all the time."

"Yea," Olee says, trying to mask her fear. "Anyways. Uhm, actually, maybe splitting up isn't the best idea…"

We all go quiet for a second, as if contemplating what sinister thing is out there, whether what or who, whether it will kill us quickly or not. "What in the universe is that?" Miro says so softly one could mistake his voice for a slight wind. His starry eyes get large, not so much from fear, but from wonder. They are locked onto something far and distant, something that glows with heat. We all look in the direction he faces and see the strange, faraway, glowing forms. It's to far to make it out, but there's something faintly sinister about it. I can't put my finger on it, it's like I can sense it. Like when you know someone is there, watching you, but you don't know who or where that person is. That's how it feels, though more infused with the Dark Side. None of us move away from the approaching glowing objects, almost as if we wish to see what they truly are. As they get closer, we see that they are some sort of creature, small animals that walk on all fours with long tails. They look as if they are made of clear glass, though they move like flowing water. They seem to have no insides, just a burning fire that radiates their bodies and make their eyes glow like red-hot coals.

"They're beautiful," I whisper. The others nod slightly, agreeing, yet still in some sort of trance because of the small creatures.

One of them comes up to me, nudging my leg slightly. Only then do the others seem to come out of the trance, Miro finally saying, "Are they dangerous?"

"No," I say, my voice slightly slurred. My words seem to make the others more at ease. The small fire creature starts to rub its head against my leg, causing warmth to spread throughout my body. I giggle slightly, something I hardly ever do unless my favorite people surround me.

"They're so cute and sweet," Aya says, her eyes starting to glaze over as if she were drifting into sleep. Her voice is equally slurred as my own, and she crouches down to pet the creatures. When her hands touch them, they start to glow, as if someone was holding a flashlight beam under her hand.

"I wonder what they are…" Olee says absently, holding up one of the pups. It licks her face, leaving a glowing gel on her cheek.

"They can't be bad," Tito says.

"I agree," Miro nods his head.

"Obviously," Aya agrees.

"Impossible," I say, my head starting to feel foggy, though in a pleasant sort of way. Like I'm forgetting my troubles and letting go for the first time.

The creatures start to jump up and down, galloping away from us, however, looking back eagerly every few steps. I can almost hear their voices through the Force, they say, _Come on! Let's go! Follow us! Let's go!_

"Follow them," we all say at the same time. We all start following the creatures, and I faintly realize that we're taking the same steps at the same time, left foot, right foot, but it hardly matters. Right now we must follow those creatures and see where they take us, because obviously they will take us to someplace wonderful.

The creatures lead us through the landscape, forcing us through cold rivers and prickly bushes, but each thing that is supposed to hurt instead brings a burst of warmth through my body. When thorns get stuck in the flesh of my leg, instead of a sharp pain, I feel a sweet tingly sensation. I know this is because of the fire creatures. They are good creatures; they take the pain away from your life. We can trust them, we can trust them. All we have to do is follow them, and they will take us somewhere magical, where no one cries… there is only happiness and laughter…

After a while, I start to trust the animals completely, closing my heavy eyelids, using the Force to let the animals guide me. Once my eyes are closed, everything almost completely disappears. I feel nothing but warmth, and I enjoy it immensely. After some amount of time, everything seems to feel blurred together; I feel one of the creatures nudge my leg. I open my eyes and realize that the animals have led us to a volcano, and we all stand at the ledge of it. Looking down into it, I see the bubbling, orange lava, spewing chunks and sending smoke up into the air. I look at the others, who seem to look content and happy, and I look down at the creatures, which wag their tails eagerly.

_Go into the fire! _They seem to be saying. _The fire is good! Go into it! Go into it!_

"Okay," us five padawans say at once, our voices hollow.

Taking a deep breath at the same time, we let ourselves fall forward, feeling the pleasant heat of the lava radiate on us as we fall. A wide grin spreads across my face, knowing that I'll finally go to that wonderful place the creatures promised us.

But it doesn't come. Instead, when my body touches the bright lava, I feel an explosion of pain, and finally I realize that I've been tricked, that those creatures lured us into here to kill us. Feeling the intense heat spread across my body, I can only faintly hear the screams of the others, who howl with pain. One of them is very loud and high pitched… I think it may be me… lights start to flash around my eyes, something that I think may be because of my very near death. The lava finally closes around my head, and the pain starts to melt away in an uncomfortable way… something touches my back, something sharp that forces even more pain into my dull body. A word flashes in my mind, screaming, _BLUE! _I'm not quite sure what it means… and suddenly, none of it matters anymore. Everything simply goes away as I slip in unconsciousness.

_Nani Ari's POV:_

Sitting next to my mother and my grandmother, holding my baby sister, Norika's hand, I watch the TV in horror. The newest episode of that terrible TV show has just premiered, so obviously, I am shocked and horrified by that, but something shows afterwards. Something that makes my intestines tie themselves into knots and my blood boil in anger, fear and betrayal.

"It can't be," Grandma says in a whispered horror. "I knew that boy was trouble, but I would never think that… my goodness."

"What is it?" Mom asks us. "What's wrong?"

The news anchor man tells us that he's never seen anything this shocking or disturbing before, and that he knew humans were bad, but he never knew they were _this _barbaric. He claims that our wonderful leader, Xero, says that he will find this human and do something about it, so this family will be avenged. But I can't believe it. I grab the remote and press rewind the watch it again, trying to process what goes on in front of me.

A fifteen-year-old girl named Umi lays underneath a desk, scared out of her mind. A man, a human, comes into the room holding a flashlight. He and Umi talk for a little while, but when he is angered by her, he attacks her with his lightsaber, killing her right after telling her that he viciously killed her family. What's disturbing is that he claims that he's a Jedi, and that his padawan, Ahsoka Tano, is in the TV show. What's even more disturbing is that I know who this killer is. His name is Anakin. My father found him, he stayed over at our house, he was kind to my sister and me… ugh! It sends a wave of pain through me just thinking about it. He was so kind, I actually thought he was a good person and my friend. I can't believe that he would lie to my family about who he is, and I can't believe that such a kind person would do such terrible things to a poor, defenseless family.

"He was my prince," Norika says softly.

"Did you guys know this person?" Mom asks us.

"Yes," Grandma nods sadly. "He was the man that stayed over at our house."

"Oh my…" Mom says, her voice trailing off with horror.

We all stare at the TV sadly until the doorbell breaks us from our thoughts. Grandma goes up and gets the door. Whoever is there doesn't take their time to get to business. A man with a gruff voice harshly says to her, "You're coming with us."

"Says who?" Grandma asks.

"Orders from Xero," he says. "You. And your family. You're all coming with us."

"Wait!" Mom gets up as men start coming into our house. "You can't just barge in here and demand to take us somewhere!" Her voice wavers. That's exactly what they did to my older sister.

"Yes we can," they say. Men start grabbing our arms, pulling us out of our home as we try to break free. Mom and Grandma start yell nasty, dirty things at the men, Norika starts to scream and cry as one of them pick her up, but I simply let them take me and shove me into their speeder. As my family members cry and yell, I feel tears roll down my eyes, knowing that when Dad comes home, he'll be all alone. The hot tears continue to roll down my face as the men force my family into the speeder and drive us off into the unknown.


	15. Chapter 15

_Omg I haven't updated in forever! I'm so sorry about that... and over one hundred reviews?! I don't deserve you guys :(_

_Enjoy this long awaited chapter! Read it carefully, my padawans, this is an odd one!  
_

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

_Ahsoka Tano's POV:_

"…blue, blue, blue… blue, blue, BLUE, BLUE, _BLUE, BLUE…"_

Those words chant inside my head until I'm finally awake. Awake! I'm awake! I'm alive! A sudden relief fills my lungs, which I must sigh out, with the realization that I am alive. You never really live until you almost face death.

But… where am I?

Looking around, I find myself in chains, my arms outstretched while a wall props up my body. I look around the room, finding nothing but torches and shadows. Did the others… die? Am I the only one left? They're going to kill me now, aren't they? Xero is going to come into the room any second now and slice off my head or… something worse. Something I can't even imagine. The fear of death and the sorrow of my friends deaths cause me to choke up, my chest full of sobs. Sure, I've only known them for, what, three days? We didn't even get along that much, really. But they were my allies at least, and Olee could count for a friend, maybe, and the fact that they're all dead… it's too much for me to bear.

_"No, child," _I hear a calm voice say. It sounds familiar… my head darts around, looking for the source of the voice, finding none. _"They are not dead. They simply aren't here with you right now."_

"That's just a nice way of saying they're dead," I say, my voice sounding like a lost toddler's.

"In some cases," it says. I blink, and suddenly, there the source is. Standing right in front of me. It's… me. A sixteen-year-old Togruta with my round face, my pale blue eyes, my headdress, my… everything. The only thing different is that I look confident, in control and poised, as if this version of me was the very Grand Master Jedi herself.

"What sorcery is this?" I say in awe.

"I am not sorcery," she says. "I am made up of the Force, as you are."

"What?" I ask, not comprehending.

"I am you," she says simply, her face as hard as stone.

"Then… how…" I start.

"To a point," she says, shrugging slightly. "Right now, we are in the depths of your mind. You are your full subconscious. You contain every emotion that our real body possesses. However, I am merely only one subconscious. I am your wisdom."

"Wait…" I say, trying to get this straight. "I'm… _we're, _in my, err, _our _brain?"

"Yes," Wisdom nods.

"And… how do I get out?" I ask.

"I don't know," Wisdom shrugs.

"I thought you were my wisdom," I say.

"You're not that smart," she says, which I would have taken as a joke if she hadn't been deadly serious while saying it. Of, course. She's not my sense of humor subconscious.

"I can free you, however," she says, moving her hand in the air, causing the cuffs on my hands the open, letting me drop down to the ground. "Thanks," I say, rubbing my wrists.

"You are welcome," Wisdom says.

"Now," I say. "Can you tell me where to go from here? You have to know at least _something."_

"Of course," Wisdom says. "You may be stupid, but you have experience. All you must do is go down that hallway out the door, and take a left. After that, I have no idea what is there, for that is where my realm ends. Understood?"  
"Yes," I say, nodding. "Thank you," I say, walking out of the room and taking a left, as instructed.

"Remember," I hear her call out as I walk in the hallway. "It is what is blue!"

What? "It is what is blue"… why do I keep hearing the word "blue" chanted or said? Are they speaking of the blue stone where the fire burns, like in the riddle? But, if I'm in my mind, what will that do? Obviously, I can't mind a "blue stone where the fire burns" inside my own head without it being fake. Perhaps it's just my brain reminding me. Ugh, I wish I had paid more attention in Togruta physiology when I was a youngling, this surely would have helped me now.

So caught up in my own thoughts, I don't see her in front of me, and I slam right into her, causing her to fall to the ground. It's another subconscious of myself.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I say, to… well, technically myself.

"Oh, it's totally fine!" this version of me says, grinning, getting up. Same as the last one, she looks exactly like me, however, she has a sparkle in her eye and a permanent smile on her face. She looks absolutely happy and content, like there's nothing wrong in this universe at all.

"I'm your subconscious of happiness and optimism!" she says, her smile getting even larger. "And this," she gestures to the dull, dark hallway. "Is my realm! Isn't it cute?"

"This is it?" I say uncertainly. It isn't much. I would expect the realm for my happiness's subconscious to be… happier.

"Oh, it's not that bad," she says, rolling her eyes jokingly. "Anyway, it's not my fault. I think it's supposed to be symbolic… I don't know, you'll have to ask the wisdom subconscious."

"Yea…" I say. "Uhm, anyway, can you tell me where to go? I'm the, err, full subconscious of our body, and I'm… trying to get back. I'm a bit lost, you see."

"Oh," she says, her smile faltering slightly. "Well, I'm not sure! I never really leave my realm, you see, and I don't contain much wisdom, hee, hee, so I'm not really sure where you are supposed to go! Really sorry about that. But I think if you keep going, you'll find where ever you are headed."

"Okay," I say. "Thanks, I guess…"

"Bye!" Happiness waves at me as I keep going down the hallway. "Have a safe journey! And remember, it's blue!"

Again with the blue. Yes, people, I know that I'm supposed to look for a blue stone where the fire burns… whatever that means. I try to use the Force to convince my brain that I already know what I'm supposed to be doing; I'm just a bit backtracked as all.

Taking a right, following my instincts, I continue going down the dark hallways. They remind me of the hallways in the Senate building, very beautiful, with gorgeous artwork and fine carpet, but creepy and dark at the same time. How does Senator Amidala spend so much time there? I'd probably loose my mind.

After a few minutes, I finally reach another subconscious, one that looks as lost as I am. But this one is different from the others; she looks much younger, probably 14 or 13, and seems to be wandering the halls like I am, unlike the two others, who looked as if they've been in their realms for all their lives. Walking up to the small subconscious, I ask her, "Are you alright?"

She looks at me, with large, fearful blue eyes. "I'm lost," she finally says.

"What subconscious are you?" I ask her.

"I am innocence," she says. "I don't know where my realm is. Do you?"

"No," I say. "I'm afraid I'm as lost as you are."

"Oh," Innocence says, looking disappointed and worried. "I used to have a realm. It was nice, I think. But it's gone now! I can't remember where it is. Can you help me find it?"

"Uhm…" I'm unsure of what to do. I want to help the little girl find her realm, because I know it must mean something for me as a whole, and perhaps if I find her realm, it'll make me feel more complete. But, I also need to get out of my brain and back into my whole body, back into the real world. "I don't think I can," I finally say. "I need to get back to the real world. But, maybe since you've been searching around here, you know the way? And, maybe we'll find your realm on the way back out of here. Okay?"

"Okay," she nods slightly.

"Come," I say, gesturing forward. She takes a tentative step forward. "What is it?" I ask her.

"We have to go to the left," she says, pointing to where she came from.

"Okay," I say. "Lead the way."

As little Innocence leads me through the labyrinth of hallways, we pass by more subconscious creatures. One who has a stuck up look on her face and is always dabbing makeup on her face and bragging, who claims that her realm is the mirror. My subconscious of beauty and vanity, I believe. Another with a dull look on her face, who simply burps in our faces. I don't think I want to know what subconscious that is. Before Innocence takes me into an elevator, a subconscious, one with a suggestive smile on her face, grabs my butt as she passes by, and when I react, she does a very… _rude _gesture. The Jedi Council would not approve.

"Sorry about her," Innocence says as the elevator doors open. "I'm not sure why she does that, but she's kind of creepy."

"Yea," I say, stepping into the elevator. A sudden feeling of dread fills the pit of my stomach, knowing that subconscious is a part of me as a whole. I'm learning all sorts of things about myself that I didn't even know. I wish I didn't know them, truthfully. Am I really that gross, or vain, or sexual?

"Where are we going?" I ask, before more thoughts creep into mind.

"Farther into the mind, I think," she says. "Not sure. It's where the very strong emotions live, or the ones that are present a lot… not quite sure. I'll ask the wisdom subconscious later."

"What lives there?" I ask, not sure if I want to know the answer.

"Love," she replies. "Anger. Fear. Hatred."

"Oh," I say.

"Their realms are very big," she says. "And the subconscious creatures are very powerful, especially in their realms. I think we should be careful. Unless you want to try another way?"

"No," I say. "I think we need to go there."

"Can you use the Force?" she asks me. "Is that why you are so sure?"

"Yea," I say. "I can use the Force… but, I just have a feeling I'll find what I'm looking for there."

"And my realm?" Innocence looks up at me, her large pale blue eyes full of hope.

"Yea," I lie. "We'll find your realm."

"Promise?" she asks me.

Ugh. She looks so hopeful; it just breaks my heart to lie to the small girl. Was I always like this? I don't think I'm actually that innocent, a girl who will believe anything someone tells her. Perhaps I used to be? Maybe that's why Innocence is lost; the war has stripped me of it.

"Yes," I say. "I… I promise."

She smiles at me. I feel my stomach churn. The elevator opens, and we walk out of it, leaving behind the promise I made behind closed doors. When I take a good look at my surroundings, I almost go back inside the elevator. Broken pieces of glass, shards with large, pointed edges dripping with blood, lie scattered all around the ground. Wisps of smoke hang in the air, and candles burn, hanging from the ceiling by chains. They burn dimly, and create a sickly odor. In the middle of the chaos is another subconscious, one that lies on the ground, holding some sort of prickly flower. Chains and shackles hang from her limbs. She stares at the flower, sullenly plucking off petals.

I look to Innocence for an answer. She simply stares at the subconscious in awe.

"Excuse me?" I ask. "Would you mind telling us who you are, and where we can get out of this place? We're a bit lost."

The subconscious simply looks at us, lacking any emotion in her eyes.

"Hello?" I ask, walking over to it, careful to step over the shards of glass. "Can you at least give me your name?"

"I am love," she says dully, looking up at the ceiling. "Family love, romantic love, friendship… you name it. I am not supposed to exist."

"Why not?" Innocence asks.

"It is forbidden," she says. She moves her arms slightly, trying to find comfort in the chains. "I am supposed to have a better realm. This is all that is aloud. This is my prison."

"Oh," I say softly. Looking around, I realize that her words rein true. I am a Jedi. I am not supposed to feel love. My heart, my feelings, they are all prisoners to the Jedi Order.

"Do you know where my realm is?" Innocence asks.

"Or how I can get out of here?" I ask. "I'm the full subconscious of the body, you see. And I need to go back to the full mind."

"Over there," Love gestures towards a small, dark door covered with cobwebs. "I cannot get out. But maybe you can."

"Thank you," I say quietly. I need to leave this place at once. I don't know how Love can stand it in here. If I'd been trapped in here, I would've started screaming and loosing my mind after a few weeks or so. But she will be trapped here until I die.

The wooden door is rotten, so it is easy to break down. Love was correct; Innocence and I can get out of here. The two of us enter a dark hallway, one so dark we cannot see our own hands when we place them in front of our faces. Luckily, I have the Force to guide me, so I grab Innocence's hand and lead her through the dark, creaky hallway. But, as we get farther and farther into the hallway, Innocence's grip on my hand starts to loosen, and, in a sense, fade. At first I don't think much of it, but when her hand completely goes away, I start to panic.

"Innocence?" I call out in the darkness. "Where did you go? Hello?"

No answer.

"Hello?" I say, getting more and more frantic. "Innocence? Answer me!"

A slight breeze seems to appear from nowhere. It whispers something in my ear, a small voice, saying, _"Look to his eyes."_

Suddenly, before I can calm myself, I start to scream. A loud, high-pitched, sharp scream that I didn't even know I could make. There's something about this hallway, something sinister… I can feel the Dark Side here. It has an iron grip on my heart and soul, and I continue to scream with all my might. My legs start to get minds of their own, and start sprinting down the hallway. A part of my starts to think, _this is crazy, _but the rest of me continues to feel the extreme fear the hallway is causing me to feel. It's a dark, creaky feeling, causing physical discomfort and mental and emotional terror. I hate this feeling, but in a way, it fills me with power. It let's me keep running and screaming even when I should have passed out by now. And finally, when I'm sure I'm going to faint from the fear, I feel myself crash, at top speed, into a hard, warm object. I fall to the ground, my screams seized, shivering.

I know someone is there. It was a person I bumped into, I know that. However, my mind is so clouded that I cannot figure out who it is, even though they seem familiar. I stay on the ground, paralyzed with fear, and after a good thirty seconds, the figure ignites their lightsaber, causing a blue light to appear in the hallway, making everything visible again. There, I see, standing in front of me, is Master, looking down at me with concern.

"Ahsoka!" he gasps. He lays down his lightsaber and grabs me, pulling me into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" he asks me, his voice choked with worry. I can't seem to make my vocal chords work, all I can manage is a slight whimper. The terror of what has happened to me, back with the other padawans, and the confusion and surprise of meeting Master again is over whelming. He must sense this, because he doesn't say anything else for a little while. He simply cuddles me, letting me relax in his arms. When he finally lets go, I manage to look him in the eyes and say, "I'm okay."

He looks at me uncertainly.

"I am," I say. But he knows me too well; he detects my lie.

"Are you sure?" he asks me.

"Ye- wait!" I suddenly say. "How are you here? I'm inside my brain… so, I'm pretty sure real people can't be allowed in here."

He doesn't say anything. He doesn't have to. His face says it all: _What?_

"It's true!" I say defensively, but I'm already starting to doubt myself. "There was a bunch of subconscious creatures, like Innocence and Love and Wisdom, and they all stood for one of my traits! I was just with Innocence!"

"And… where is she now?" he asks me.

"She's…" I start to say, "_right here", _but I remember what happened to her. "Oh. Well, she disappeared."

"You've faced some extreme trauma recently, Snips," he says. "I think you're just tired."

"But it's true!" I say. "I saw different mes everywhere!"

"Maybe," Master shrugs. "But we can't worry about that now. We have to get you out of here."

Could I have really just imagined all of that? I've never done anything like that before, but it is true… I _have _faced trauma, and maybe just scared, so I imagined all of it… but, then how did I get out of my room, or the arena? Did I imagine that, too? Maybe it doesn't matter. I should just get out of here.

As he starts to get up, grasping his lightsaber, I say, "We have to get the others. Aya, Tito, Olee and Miro, I mean. The other padawans."

"They're gone," Master says quietly. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka. Didn't you know?"

"They're gone?" I whisper in horror. "But… but that's impossible!"

"I thought you knew," he says. "They died because of the lava. You're the only one who survived."

"But… no!" I say. "That, that can't be… I don't even remember winning or getting out of my room or anything… they can't be dead. I _know _I would've remembered that."

"They've been dead for five days," Master says. "I think they told you. You must have blocked it out."

His words become distant as it becomes harder and harder for me to breathe. Looking back, where Love's realm should have been, is just an empty hallway. Did I really just imagine it all? They're really dead? With horror, I realize it must be true. We did jump into that volcano. They must have died, and I must have survived by some miracle. Dead… dead for five days. I find myself gasping for breath, each exhale coming out as a short shudder. My eyes well up with tears, blurring my vision, each drop resembling the cracks and tares in my still beating heart. No wonder people say, "heartbreak". It actually feels as if my heart has been split in two, causing actually, physical pain. Every time it beats, it hurts more. I can faintly hear Master say that it'll be okay, and we should get going. I try to calm myself, taking a deep, shuddery breath as he leads me through the hallways.

_I hate this part, _I hear myself say inside my head. I always tell myself this after battles, when we read off how many clone troopers we've lost. I hate that part of war. Winning battles, destroying those evil battle droids, that always gives me this sort of wonderful rush, making me feel as if I can do anything, that I've done something amazing. But reading off the names of the dead, or worse, when it's actually someone I knew quite well who has died, that always brings me back to reality. This is what war really is. People die. You can't stop that, no matter how hard you try.

I try to keep in the sobs as we go through the maze of hallways, as I always do after battle. I must stay strong, at least for now. I'll get home soon, something I always tell myself when I want to break down crying, and then I can go into my quarters where I'll sob myself silly into my pillow. Then I can stay up all night, watching Master tinker away, or watch the HoloNet on TV. Except usually it's about the war, and I'll just relive it, like I do in my dreams. So I'll probably just sit in front of the holographic TV, it turned off, and watch the darkness. I always do these things after time in the battlefield. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother going in there, but something draws me back in every time. Maybe it's saving people. Maybe it's knowing that destroying battle droids and killing military officers is the only thing I really know, so I'll never really be able to get back into society. Is that why Wisdom was located in a prison… because I know nothing else? Wait, I forgot. Wisdom wasn't really real. I should just forget about it, or I'll drive myself mad.

"Stay focused, Ahsoka," Master's voice zaps me back to the real world. I realize that I've stopped right in the middle of the hallway.

"Sorry," I say.

"I know it's hard," Master says. "But we're almost there. Just hang in there."

He gestures me to come forward, and I do so, following him around a corner. Once I do so, everything turns dark. Completely pitch black. Darker than outer space. I sense that Master as disappeared.

"Master?" I call out. "Master, where'd you go?"

No answer.

"Master!" I start to yell, trying to use the Force to locate him. I can't find him. "Anakin!" I scream, using his first name, something I hardly ever do. "Anakin! Where are you?"

A small light flashes before my eyes. Something tells me, the Force or just plain instinct, that this light will lead me to where I need to go. It flies away from me, and I follow it, tripping over my feet as I go. I bang into walls and corners as I zip through the maze of dark hallways, only seeing the light. As I run, I become increasingly aware of the smell of the Dark Side that surrounds me. I want to run away from it, but my body has other plans. I try to pull away but the light seems to control me, pulling my body forward awkwardly as if I were a puppet. I try to trip myself, break my leg, to do something that will cause me to stop running towards it. I can't; I've lost control over my own body.

_"The Dark Side creeps up on you when you least expect it,"_ I hear Master's voice in my ears. It's not a whisper; it's as if he is right there, all around me, speaking directly. _"Did you really think that you imagined all of that… all of the subconscious creatures? Ahsoka, you are in your head. You must get out… however, that will not happen if I can help it."_

"Master?" I say, still running. "What… what do you mean? Where are you? What's going on?"

_"This is the place where the darkest parts of you live,"_ Master says. Suddenly, my body comes to a stop. I almost fall over, the stop was so sudden. _"The parts where Jedi never go. Never were allowed to go. But I live here. I accept this place. You are my padawan, I will teach you to live, breathe, feel, use darkness. Can you feel it surrounding you?"_

"Yes…" I say. This is too much for me to handle. My friends… are still alive? I'm still in my head, so my friends… they still have a chance? And where in my brain are we? What's wrong with Master… what is he?

_"Do you accept it?"_ he asks.

"What? No!" I say. "This is where the Dark Side is! I cannot accept something like that, you know that!"

A long pause. It takes us the entire room, making it unsettling and unnerving. I start to think that I'm just hallucinating again, that Master is really rescuing me like he said. Everything is getting so hard to tell what is real and what is not…

His laughter breaks up the silence. It's a loud, echoing laugh that sends icicles down my spine. I force myself to stay calm and to stand my ground. He's just trying to make this hard for me. Like he always is.

_"Wrong answer, Ahsoka…"_ he says after his dark laughing fit. I never knew Master was as insane as Xero. _"You must stay here. You must join us."_

"Us?" I ask. "Us… who?"

_"Us!"_ he says, almost happily. _"You must join us! We will change our galaxy, stop this planet from being so evil, of course… but then, we shall stop the war in our own home and take over the Republic! We'll rule the galaxy, as master and padawan. You like that, don't you?"_

"No," I shake my head hard and fast. "No. No. I don't."

_"Then I have no choice,"_ I've never heard Master sound so cold and hollow. His voice is emotionless, like a droids, and pierces my heart with daggers infused with fear. _"You will stay here. Forever."_

"No!" I yell.

_"Until your body dies,"_ he continues with that awful tone. _"And then you'll be mine."_

"Stop!" I start to screech. It's as if the more he talks, the more I loose it.

_"Your choice,"_ I can almost imagine him shrugging. _"Stay here, or join me."_

"STOP!" I scream, covering my ears with my hands. "STOP! STOP! STOP!"

He starts laughing manically again, but it is drowned out by the sounds of a thousand voices screaming in my ears.

_"You're pathetic,"_ Xero spits.

_"Run! Run!"_ Magsa screams.

_"Seeds of the Dark Side planted by your master… do you feel it?"_ my future vision asks me.

_"AHSOKA! AHSOKA RUN!"_ Chiva screams hysterically.

_"They're blue,"_ Love, Wisdom, Happiness… all of them chant in my ears.

_"It is? How do you know?"_ little Merico asks me.

"STOP! STOP!" I scream, trying to wave the words of the dead from my ears. "STOP IT! STOP IT!" Master continues to laugh, this time his evil laughter combines with Xero's. I collapse onto my knees.

_You're pathetic… Run! Run! Dark Side… seeds… they're blue… AHSOKA RUN! RUN! RUN! AHSOKA- how do you know? It is? Planted by your master… they're blue… they're blue… how do you know? Do you feel it?_

_"Look into his eyes,"_ the whisper from the wind silences all the voices and laughter.

Suddenly, I am no longer in the dark room. I am back in that crystal cave on Mortis, with little Innocence.

"Now, my dear Ahsoka," Innocence doesn't sound like herself. Her voice is deeper, more mature. She gives me a smirk, one that owned by Master, his trademark smirk he gives me when he just beat me in lightsaber training. "I know this whole trip into your mind has made you a bit… unhinged," Innocence says. "But honestly, you didn't here my advice? Look into his eyes, Ahsoka. They're blue."

"I can't see anything," I say hopelessly.

Innocence sighs. "Have you not learned anything form your trip to Mortis? Ahsoka, deary, the only way to see is to become one with the Dark Side. When you were possessed by the Dark Side that one night? It gave you power, dear; you knew things you never knew before. You knew about the Dagger even when you had never seen or heard of it before. At that time, Mortis was infused with the Dark Side. Right now, honey, you are inside your own Dark Side. Darkness flows within you here. The only way for you to get out is to let go and accept. Only then will you be able to find his eyes."

"But… that can't be true," I say. "The Dark Side is evil! Why would I surrender myself to evil? I'm a Jedi. I'm better than that."

"Are you?" she asks me, cocking her head slightly, hands on her fists. "Are you, truly? Are you better than that? No. You're not. You Jedi are SO naïve. You ignore the darkness; you try to pretend it's not there. You wish to destroy darkness. But how can there be darkness without light? Another day comes after this one. But in between, there will be night. Everyone knows this, correct? Everyone accepts this, right? Right. Because it's balanced. Night and day go together. Like darkness and light. Too much darkness, then you're doomed. The Jedi know this. But too much light… you're doomed, too. You can't see in the dark. And you can't see in blinding light. In order to see, you must have light, and you must have shadows. Accept the shadows."

"But I don't want to be a Sith," I say softly.

"I didn't say to surrender to the darkness," Innocence rolls her eyes. "I said to accept it. There's a difference. Now, be on your way."

"Wait," I say. "One more question. If you are my subconscious of innocence… then why aren't you, you know, naïve?"

"Outside of here, I am innocence," she says. "But in here, I am lost innocence. I never had a realm. I know that now. I don't need a realm, you see, because I flow through everyone, everywhere."

I blink, and I'm back in that dark room again. The small light shines in front of me. The light of darkness. As much as I don't want to, as much as Innocence's words go against everything I know, I grab the light.

The light burns the flesh of my hands, but I force myself to hang onto it. Each burn sinks into my veins, coursing venom into them. I watch my arms go pale and scaly, the veins becoming more and more visible. As my body starts to shake, my head throbs as the Dark Side sinks into it. I can feel my eye color change from a pale blue to a snakelike yellow. My mind starts to feel torn in two as I instinctively start to fight the change happening, trying to keep a good, clear mind and not letting anything dark inside. But the dark invades it. How do I accept the darkness without becoming it? This is the last thing I think before my mind goes dark.

My eyes flutter open. I take a deep breath of cold air. I can see now. I am in some sort of throne room. It is glorious, wonderful, and magnificent. Marble tiles cover the floors, creating an unearthly glow. Half of the ground is this wonderful stone; the rest is clear blue water. Stones make a path in the water, leading up to a large throne that seems to be made of ice. Master stands right before the water, smiling at me. His skin is pale, with bags covering his cold eyes, one yellow, and one blue.

"Ah," he beams at me. "I see you've decided to join me. Wonderful!"

"Thank you, Master," I find myself grinning as well.

"Come," he gestures his hand for me to follow. "It's time we get out of here. Do you agree?"

"Yes, Master," I nod eagerly. He walks along the stones in the water that lead to the throne. I grin with excitement. Time to get out of here and rule the galaxy, as I rightly should.

"Be careful of the water," he tells me. "It is poisonous." I nod as I step onto the first stone in the water. But once I am on the fifth stone, I start to fill with doubt. Perhaps the water isn't poisonous, but a source of power or knowledge? Master must be keeping this power from me, wanting it only for himself. He wants to hold me back, to keep me ignorant and obedient. He cannot hold me back! Soon, I shall be the master. That is the Sith way.

I dip my shoe into the water, filling it with the liquid. Suddenly, my mind clears and the color in my skin goes back to normal. I feel my eye color change once again as the room goes dark.

"What have you done?!" I hear Master screech. "You traitor! I told you not to touch the water!"

Unable to see anything, I freeze up with fear.

"You must be punished," I hear him growl. The sound of a lightsaber igniting fills the air, creating a red glow from the blade. At least this allows me to see somewhat.

Before I can react, Master lunges for me, but I dodge it and leap into the water. Big mistake. It is shallow, only a few inches deep, which causes me to land painfully on my ankle. It's broken. There's no doubt about that. Master continues to swing his lightsaber at me, forcing me to run away on the bad ankle. Each step I take causes a wave of agony to pulse through my body, but I try to ignore it.

"You ungrateful little brat!" Master screams after me. "How dare you disobey me!"

I reach the ice throne, and climb up its large stairs until I reach the top of the throne. The only way that seems remotely of an escape route would be the hole in the ceiling, but a thick layer of ice covers it. I raise my hand and try to use the Force to break it, however, Master has caught up with me. He pounces me, knocking me down onto my back. He uses his knees to keep my arms down, and shoves the red lightsaber blade right next to my throat. Only a flick of the wrist and I'll be beheaded.

"Oh… so you thought you could outsmart me, huh?" his different colored eyes shine evilly. "Thought that you could do things by yourself, right? Wrong, Ahsoka. So, so very wrong. You need me. You belong to me. How could you ever think otherwise?"

"Let me go!" I shout in his face. "You're not real! You're just a subconscious! Let go!"

He laughs. "Subconscious?" he asks me. "So naïve. I am so much more than that. Just like you. Only you failed to realize it. And now, my poor, stupid padawan, you will die."

"No!" I scream. "Please," I beg him. "I have to get out of here. I have to save my friends."

"Your friends?" he says. "They're dead, Ahsoka. They're dead. Just as you soon will be."

"They're not dead," I say.

"Oh, yes, they're dead," he grins at me. "Quite pathetic, really. Died in that stupid volcano. As you soon will."

"We're in the volcano?" I ask.

"Yes," Master says. "Now, I'd love to chat. But alas, your time is up."

Without any other clue of what to do, I spit in my master's face. His head bounces back as the saliva lands on his nose. This gives me enough time to Force push him off of me and jump onto him myself. I grab his blue eye and yank it out of his socket. As he screams with pain, the eye turns completely blue, as if it were a crystal. The ice covering the hole in the ceiling bursts, and flames fly through it. As the heat becomes unbearable, I black out as I feel my body rise through the hole in the ceiling.

"Ahsoka! Ahsoka, wake up!" Aya's pleading voice sends me back to full consciousness. "Please, Ahsoka, you have to wake up!"

I open my eyes, sitting up. My ankle no longer hurts, the pain of that broken bone is replaced with the feeling of burns. I'm in some sort of cave, surrounded by my fellow padawans, Aya, Miro, Olee, and Tito. Their skin is covered with red-hot burns, and the humans' hair look darker and smoking from the lava. They all breathe a sigh of relief when they see me sit up.

"Thank the Force," Aya sighs. "We thought you were going to die."

"What… what happened?" I ask, my voice surprisingly hoarse.

"Those fire mutts led us into a trap," Tito says sullenly. "Made us jump into the volcano. I don't think it was real lava, because we could swim in it, but it still burnt us. You passed out inside the volcano."

"You were out for hours," Olee adds.

I become aware of a cool object lying in my hands. I open up my palms and see the small blue stone inside them.

"Where did you get that?" Miro asks me, surprised.

"It's a long story," I say. "But I think this is the stone the riddle was talking about."

I turn in upside down, and sure enough, just like the riddle said, the clue is on the bottom of the stone.

"Underneath the stone where the fire burns," Olee mumbles the riddle to herself.

"What's it say?" Tito asks.

"'The first key is above the running water'," I read.

"And of course it's the most vague clue ever made," Tito rolls his eyes.

"Never mind that," I shake my head. "Come on, we have to find that key."


	16. Chapter 16

_So, so dreadfully sorry that it's been taking me so long to update! It's just that ever since school started, I haven't had that much time to write as I would like... and when I do have the time, I'm either too tired or too lazy. Really sorry about that, I know how frustrating that can be. You're just going to have to live with it..._

_I'm not too pleased with this chapter. It's... meh. I don't know. I felt like I was rushing, but I need the story to keep moving. And my writing style may have slightly changed... I read the book "Night" by Elie Wiesel so that may have influenced some of it, as he's such a good and powerful writer.  
_

_Jesus Christ that was a long author's note. Hope you enjoy the new chapter! I enjoyed reading your kind reviews :)  
_

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

_Anakin Skywalker's POV_

It takes us days to find shelter.

Stuck in a middle of a blizzard, with very little food and water, we almost didn't make it. We ran out of water quickly, what was left turned to ice. Luckily, we had snow. But our food resources weren't as lucky. As a human, I can go at least two weeks without food, but Elmira and Zenneth's species, however, can only go five days without food. So, obviously, most (and later, all of it) of the food went to those two. The lack of food made the cold more real to me, made it crisper and sharper. Such an uncomfortable feeling. I'll never complain about that sand bowl of a planet I call home ever again.

But finally, we find a shelter. A small metal building made for the lost, the traveling, or just a bunch of lazy hoboes. Either way, it has running water and food and heat. I'd live in a ditch if it had all those things.

Zenneth opens the door (so low tech, it doesn't even slide open), and calls out, "Uh… hello?"

The lights flicker on, though they do not cask much light. I'm tempted to ignite my lightsaber to create more light, but I choose not to. Humans aren't very well liked on this planet, and my lightsaber will be a dead give away of what I truly am. Anyway, from what I can see, there seems to be only one room in the entire building. Bunk beds take up half of it, then a small counter with a refrigerator and oven for cooking. The only other room must be the bathroom, as there a shut door nears the left corner of the space.

Natives look up at us, some awaken from sleeping, some just sitting on their bunks. I've never seen such a sad bunch… no, wait, yes I have. Back at a slave auction, with my mom. But this is a close second.

"Hello, ladies," Elmira puts on a bright smile, looking at the two women sitting on a bunk together. "Hello, gentlemen," she smiles at the rest of the people in the space. "My friends and I have been lost for quite some time, you see, and are looking for a place to rest. Is there enough room for us here?"

Someone says yes.

"Wonderful!" she beams. "Can we please have some food, then? We've all been going around without any for quite some time."

Yea, right, I think. I've been going without food longer than you two have. You're lucky I'm a nice person, or else you'd be dead in the snow.

"Sure thing," a young man says. "I'll make you guys some food."

"Thank you, dear," Elmira gives him a sweet smile. She is such a flirt.

"I'm going to take a shower," I say, putting down Zenneth's backpack I was carrying next to a bunk, claiming it for myself.

"Not unless you want a cold shower," an old man says gruffly.

"What do you mean?" Zenneth asks. "You don't have warm water?"

"We do," the elder says. "But this is owned by the government. And it doesn't want to waste money on us. So, we only have warm water from eight am to ten am."

"WHAT?" I practically scream. "You've got to be kidding!"

"Sorry," the man shrugs. "I would change it if I could."

"Oh, no!" I say angrily. "I did not walk through a blizzard without food and water just to take a COLD shower! Let me see this."

I storm into the bathroom, which is incredibly small. Only one toilet, a tiny sink and a small shower. Not enough for all these people, that's for sure. I take off my gloves, turn on the water from the shower and shove my hands underneath the stream of water that comes from it. Freezing cold. I try putting it on the warm setting, but it stays the same temperature.

"I told you," the man says to me from the door.

"This isn't expectable," I growl. I look at the man. "Is there some sort of control device that controls the water and heat?"

"Yea," the elder says. "Underneath the sink here. But it's got some sort of password, so we can't figure out how to change the settings."

"Let me see this," I say, going underneath the sink. The man is correct, I find a small keypad and screen underneath it. Instead of trying to figure out the password, I simply take off the screen and expose the wires underneath. It's a basic set up, one I learned how to do when I was a toddler. I rearrange the wires a certain way and test the water again. Just as I suspected, the water went hot when I put it on the right setting.

"Hey, guys!" I yell out to the others. "Get your towels ready; I fixed the shower, and I call first!"

The others don't believe me at first, but after seeing that I took an hour-long shower (I'm not paying for it, so, why not?) they all line up for their turns.

"Nice job," Zenneth says, sitting down next to me on my bunk. He hands me a warm drink. "How'd you learn how to do that?"

I shrug. "I learned it a while back."

"That's amazing," Zenneth says. I feel my face go red with his praise. "I was never good with technical stuff like that."

"Huh," I don't know what else to say. I take a sip of the drink, it's warm and strange tasting. "What is this stuff?" I ask.

"Tea," Zenneth says. "It might taste a little different than the ones you have back home."

"It does," I say. "But it's a good flavor." That's a lie. It kind of has a sliminess that's hard to get down, and the strong flavors make my head hurt and make my thoughts get cloudy. "Does it have alcohol?" I ask him. I don't drink. Not after what happened when I first met Hondo and his pirates.

"No," Zenneth shakes his head. "It's tea."

"Oh," I say. I continue to drink the tea, however, since it seems rude to refuse it and it helps me regain my strength. Maybe so, it still causes my head to feel achy and foggy.

After Zenneth and Elmira freshen up, we all eat our dinner together and talk about our next move in hushed voices. I don't speak much, however, even though I'd love to help out some more. The drink is starting to make my tongue go numb.

"Are you okay?" Elmira asks me.

"Yes," I lie. My words are slightly slurred. "Wait… no. I don't know. What's in this stuff?"

"I don't know," Elmira shrugs. "It's just basic tea."

"Maybe you should stop drinking that," Zenneth says.

"No!" I say. "It helps me regain my strength."

"But you sound drunk," Elmira says. "And sick. Bad combo, guy. Really, you should stop drinking that."

"Ugh," I say, putting down the glass onto the floor. "Why does it only affect me? You think there's something in this that affects humans weird?"

"Yes," Elmira and Zenneth say at the same time, nodding and laughing slightly. A dull, unsharpened pang of anger hits me, right in the stomach. It then lurches and I throw up what little I have in my stomach all over the floor.

After Zenneth and Elmira clean up the vile liquid, they give me some water and tell me to rest. I don't protest, even though I hate it when I have to be taken care of. I crawl underneath the covers, take a sip of the cool water and try to go to sleep. My throat burns from the puke, and my tongue is still numb. The water helped clear up the fog a little bit, but my head still pounds. Whenever I try to catch sleep, it is just out of my grasp and it runs away from me. Yea, that tea was a great call, Zenneth.

When I hear the loud crash, I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep. It was so dull I almost didn't notice my slumber. Yet there goes the loud crash, the screaming of the others, and my eyes flutter open with surprise. My head weighs a ton, it's almost impossible to pick it up to see what's going on. I try to use the Force, but the tea has dulled my senses, making it foggy whenever I use it.

"Anakin!" I can hear Zenneth, he must be screaming, but everything sounds like whispers. "Get up! Get up!"

I manage to roll myself out of the bunk, falling onto the ground. A large, burly looking man stands over me, his eyes glaring down at me. His uniform screams that he is of the authorities. I try to crawl away, but my muscles are frozen. He chuckles at my struggle and then kicks my head, causing the dull pain to go away, along with everything else.

When I wake up, the pain is gone, though there is a throbbing in my head where I was kicked. I sit up and find myself in a dark room, sitting between an unconscious Elmira and Zenneth. For a second, I think they're dead, but their chests move up and down with their breathing, which calms me and forces me to think otherwise.

I shake Zenneth's shoulder, trying to rouse him. He won't awaken. When I try Elmira, she doesn't, either. A sharp shard of fear goes down my spine. What's happened to them? Where are we?

"It's useless," a crisp, smooth voice says. It has an evil quality that makes me go weak. "I gave them knockout gas. It'll wear off in a few hours, but for now, they're as good as dead."

"Who said that?" I ask, putting myself on guard. I reach for my lightsaber, only to find that it's not on my belt anymore.

Out of the shadows comes a young man, one of the natives to this planet, grinning a twisted, pointed grin at me. His eyes look like hot embers, distorted in the bad light of the room. Once I see his face, I feel my stomach drop with fear. I can sense the Dark Side on him, a familiar feeling I got long ago…

"You're a Sith," I say instantly.

He shakes his head, still smiling. "No, I'm afraid you are incorrect. I am so much more than that, just like you. But I'm not here to talk about that with you. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Xero, X-E-R-O. Pronounced like the number 'zero', but spelled with an x. I'm the ruler of this planet. Have you heard of me?"

"You're the kark who made that TV show," I say, feeling rage boil at the pit of my stomach. "You killed Kendra and those padawans. You have my padawan captive."

"Perhaps humans aren't as stupid as I thought they were!" Xero says, nodding encouragingly. "Good job! Now, humor me. Guess why you are here."

"To kill me," I spit.

"Well, that is obvious," Xero says. "I meant why you do think you're here before getting killed."

"Why don't you just tell me?" I ask.

"Fine, fine," Xero shrugs, looking almost smug. He waves his hand in the air. The lights turn on, and trapdoors open from the other side of the room. Tied up figures rise from the trapdoors. I freeze up instantly with fear, anger and rage. I know the figures, all of them but one. Aislynn, Nani and Norika, along with another woman, who I assume is Nani and Norika's mother since she looks exactly like Nani. The females' eyes are wide with fear, struggling against their bonds, trying to scream but choked by their gags. Nani and Norika's eyes go wide with shock when they see me. Their mother does a double take between Zenneth and me. Aislynn glares at me. Before I left their house, the old woman told me not to bring any trouble…

I instantly jump to my feet. I walk over to Xero, glaring down at him. While I tower above the monster, he seems to have to upper hand. He stares up at me as if I were weaker; as if I couldn't kill him right there, right then. He smiles at me a kind, warm smile.

"What have you done to them?" I demand.

"Nothing," he says innocently. "And I'm not going to do anything to them, either."

"I don't have time for your games!" I scream at him. "Let them go! They never did anything!"

His smile fades. "If you do not lower your voice," he says, his voice shaking. "I will kill them all, right here. Including your two friends there."

I bite my lip and try to hold in my shouts.

"Good," Xero says. "Now, may I continue?"

I say nothing. I do not nod.

"First of all," Xero continues anyway. "You're in a Force prison. You can't use the Force here. You can sense things, but you cannot lift things and such. Neither can I, so don't worry, I won't try anything on you." He smiles slightly. "Now to what you have to do. You already know about my show, as I can tell. Well, guess what? You're going to be a part of it! Isn't that great? You'll be part of the grand finale! Now, I won't spoil that for you… because, obviously, where's the fun in that? Anyway, as I was planning out the finale, I started thinking that it's not very fair that you only get to participate in only one part of the game. Not very fair at all. So I decided to have to you do something else! Just one little thing. Don't worry, it won't be on TV. There are no cameras. Lucky, aren't you? So, my dear friend, here is what you have to do. You have to choose between these four ladies-" he gestures to the tied up females "-and decide which of them will live. You must choose only one. The others will be killed."

I want to do something, but I can't. I'm paralyzed with horror. The females start to scream through their gags.

"If you cannot choose," Xero continues. "Then they'll all be killed. And your two friends. And the remaining padawans in the game, which is including your own. Now, choose!"

"You… you can't possibly think…" I try to speak.

"Oh, I do, and I know," Xero says. "Killing is in your nature, Skywalker. I saw you kill that family. The whole world knows about it now. It won't make much of a difference if you kill anyone else, will it? Though, I must say, I do wish you would choose someone. I want to keep this game going." He smiles. I shudder.

I level my options. Trying to escape would probably get all of us killed. I can't have Ahsoka die, I've come so far… but I can't just choose who will live, either! Not right in front of them! And who will I choose, anyone? Which life is worth more? Aislynn or the mother's life, since they are older and wiser? Nani or Norika's life, since they have so much more to live for? Poor Norika… so young and innocent. I was her prince. Now she must watch her prince decide if she lives or dies.

"I'm taking your silence as a 'not able to answer' type of thing," Xero says. "Am I correct?"

I shake my head.

"You have one more minute," Xero shrugs. "Or they all die."

I stare at the mom. She gestures her head towards her children. Tears stream down her face. I stare at Aislynn. She glares at me. I stare at Norika. Her eyes are filled with wonder and confusion, not knowing what's happening. I look at Nani. Hers is the worst. She glares at me with pure hate in her eyes. She trusted me, and I've brought this upon her. She'll never forgive me… never…

Some unknown force pushes the words out of me. "Nani."

Xero grins his wicked smile as Nani yelps. "Wonderful!" Xero says. He waves his hand in the air again. Doors open from the walls behind the females, and large men holding knives come out. My heartbeat quickens, my chest tightening. The man behind the mother throttles her and stabs her in the stomach with the knife. She screams until the final blow silences her forever. Next, the man behind Aislynn. He does the same to the elder woman. Finally, the man behind Norika. Each time the man stabs the small toddler in her stomach, I feel a punch in my gut, until finally, when the little princess is dead, the wind is knocked out of me.

"Wonderful!" Xero claps his hands. "Wasn't that fun? Guards, untie Nani and take the corpses to the crematorium. Nani and the others will stay here until the finale."

The men follow their orders, untying Nani and dragging the bloodied bodies out of the room. Xero bids us farewell and walks out the room, leaving us imprisoned.

As Nani crouches down next to her father and silently weeps, I whisper to her, "Nani, I'm so sorry."

She doesn't answer me. She simply weeps.


	17. Chapter 17

_If you're wondering why it took me so long to update and post this really short chapter... well, I'm not really sure._

_I'm not too pleased with this chapter. It took me forever to write and yet I only made two pages... plus the writing kind of... sucks...  
_

_Sorry about that. No matter how hard I try, I just can't write more. But at least we can celebrate that Star Wars: The Clone Wars has just had it's one hundredth episode BABY! WOO!  
_

_Hope you enjoy, regardless of the kind crappy writing and the shortness of the chapter. Hopefully my gears will get rolling again._

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

_Ahsoka Tano's POV_

We spend two whole days looking for running water. We find a few streams (and, I must tell you, the first one felt _wonderful _on our burnt flesh), though there is no key above any of them. At the end of the second day, we make camp inside of a cave. As Miro makes a fire, the others and I talk about our plans.

"This is hopeless," Tito says, throwing a piece of wood into the fire. Embers flies into Miro's face, making him frown. "We've spent two days searching for that damned key and have found nothing. This must have been a joke. Xero's going to keep us in here until we die or kill each other or something."

"I don't know about that," Olee says, running her fingers through her tangled hair. "We haven't really done anything besides search. So since nothing has attacked us, I'm guessing Xero really does want us to find the keys. Besides, since we're not going to kill each other and we're just roaming around, the ratings are probably going down."

"And that means Xero could send something in here," Aya nods. "To speed up the process… whatever it is."

"Well, our lives are going to start becoming a living hell if we don't find that key soon," I say. "He's definitely going to send something after us. So we need to find it quick."

"But we've found tons of places with running water," Miro says. "And we haven't yet found the key. If it's not above streams, where else can it be?"

"Oceans?" Aya suggests.

"That doesn't really seem like Xero's style…" I say.

"Waterfalls?" she asks.

We all give each other a look.

"I could see that," Tito says. "It's hard to climb up and dangerous, but not impossible."

"Great," Miro mumbles. "We now know where the key is. Now… where exactly is the waterfall?"

"Maybe we should follow one of the streams," I say. "See if it leads to a waterfall. I think it might, though. He probably wants to give us a little help, so we find it easier and the ratings don't suffer."

"He's probably ready to shoot us into a black hole since we didn't figure it out that quickly," Tito says under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"Okay," Olee says. "We'll follow the nearest river to the waterfall. Let's get some rest guys. I'll take first shift and make sure none of those fire dogs don't find us again…"

The next day, after a quick breakfast of nuts and berries, we find the last stream we saw and follow it the way the water is rushing. All of us are quiet; Aya nervously bites her nails, and, when the nails are mere stubs after a while, chews on her hair. Miro starts to become jittery, always picking up pace slightly and his head darting around at the slightest noise, and Tito continuously mutters under his breath, "Please lead to a waterfall… please lead to a waterfall… please lead to one…" Olee and I try to keep calm and keep our eyes ahead of us. While our faces mask calm, it doesn't seem to rub off on anyone.

After a few hours, we reach a cliff, where the stream leaps off the edge and pours down one hundred feet into a large pool.

"Yes!" Aya cries. "We've found it!"

"Great," Tito says, looking up into the sky. "Now… where's the key?"

Our heads dart up, staring straight into the blinding yellow sun, looking for the key. After my eyes have been surely damaged by the rays of the bright star, a small glint crosses my vision. Using the Force, I identify that it is indeed the key.

"I found it!" I cry, pointing up to it. The others squint harder, but manage to see it as well.

"I've got this," a smirk crosses Tito's face. He raises his hand and pulls the key out of the air. Once it's in his palm, we all stare at it in awe. It's a simple key, an old fashioned golden one, with a small piece of flimsy paper tied onto it.

"What's the paper say?" Aya asks. Miro takes it from Tito's hand and reads it.

"The next clu-" he starts, but he instantly freezes up in shock.

"What?" I ask, my heartbeat quickening with fright. "What's it say?" I grab the piece of paper from his stiff hands and read it myself.

"The ne-" I start, but my vocal chords are cut off by an invisible force. Suddenly, everything becomes blurred and wavy, making my head pound with frustration and fear. After a beat, my stiff knees turn to slush and I fall off the edge of the waterfall along with Miro.

The screams of the other padawans fill the air, but are silenced as soon as I hit the water. It feels as if I've hit concrete and every bone in my body has shattered as soon as I sink into the blue depths. The pain causes me to completely loose my train of thought, as I do not react when I feel two small hands pull my down deeper into the water. Once my burning lungs give away, water fills them as quickly as darkness fills my brain.

When I wake up, I find myself leaning against Miro's cold, wet, limp body. We are no longer underwater; we're in a large grey room that's so cold and damp I wouldn't have been surprised if I truly were still underneath the waves. Trying to rouse him, I shake Miro's shoulder. He won't awaken. While the Force tells me that he is still with us, he looks a lot like a corpse. His mouth his opened slightly, a small stream of water trickling out of it the way a brainworm would slither up into it's host. His green skin is paled and covered with goose bumps, such a sickly combination it looks like rotting goo, and it doesn't help that his skin is chilled as well. It's as if he were put into the sun as melted, and now it's frozen back up again.

"Oh, Miro," I say softly and quickly. "You can't be dead. Wake up."

"Oh, he'll be fine," a childlike voice says quite happily. I've heard the voice before, but I cannot place it. I'm filled with dread, yet also that awkwardness when you've met someone once but cannot remember who they are or where you've met them before.

"Who's there?" I ask, clutching onto Miro's limp arm as if it were a lifeline.

A young boy comes out of a shadow as if he were made of one himself. A grin spreads on his face. My stomach lurches as if someone were boiling the acids inside of it.

It's Merico.


	18. Chapter 18

_Everyone, thank "Lazy Luxsoka" for reminding me and getting me all pumped to update._

_Dunno why, but this chapter seems... short. Which is weird, cuz it's six pages long. Oh, well.  
_

_Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews. I can't tell you enough how much it all means to me :)  
_

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

_Ahsoka Tano's POV_

"Hello, Ahsoka," Merico smiles. "Thought you could get rid of me? I'm not such a kid that I'll leave so easily."

No, no, this cannot be happening. He's supposed to be dead! Is he a zombie? While far fetched, Master has told me of such stories about them. He's even seen them himself. So perhaps… and he looks like one, too. His blue skin is paled, and you can see his veins quite easily. Bruises cover the sides of his bright, shining yellow bloodshot eyes. An eerie smile crosses his flesh, flesh that looks as if it were rotting…

"Poor, poor Ahsoka," Merico laughs. "So afraid. You act as if you are a big, bad Jedi, but really, what are you underneath? A small, scared little girl. Only pretending to be bad. You manipulate people to do your bidding and make them feel hopeful. But it's all lies. ALL OF IT!" He screeches and lets out a terrifying bellow of laughter.

"I'm not scared," I mutter through clenched teeth. "What are you?"

He shakes his head, still grinning. "I'm me. More me than I've ever been."

I can't speak. As my vocal chords freeze up, my chest throbs as it gasps for breath.

"You were destined for great things…" Merico says, pacing back a forth. "Very, very great things… but Skywalker took it away from you. Now all is lost." He stares at me with the eyes of a dead man. "Or is it? He can give it back to you. He can change everything, for the better…"

"Who?" I manage to whisper.

"Xero," flames dance in Merico's eyes.

A lump in my throat forms. _When did I loose my courage?_

"All you have to do is win," Merico says.

"Xero will kill us all," I say. "He's made it pretty clear from the beginning."

"Not if you prove your worth," Merico says. "Kill the others. Then surrender yourself to him… you can change it. The future. Our galaxy is in great danger."

"You speak lies!" surprisingly, my starts again, this time ten times louder.

"The only way out of here," Merico's smile fades, his anger growing. "Is to kill all the others! Only two can make it out! You see those dots on your cuff? Those represent the living! And the keys will not work if all of you are living!"

I stand up, glaring down at him. I hadn't realized how small he really is… this isn't even Merico. Merico is dead. This… this is just his corpse. A trick played by Xero. I yell at the dead body, "You're making this all up! To trick me! Why should I believe _you? YOU'RE NOT EVEN LIVING!"_

"The Dark Side is strong with you," he grins. "You shall be an excellent pawn of Xero's."

"I'm no ones pawn," I say.

"Is that so?" he grins.

"Yes," I hover over him, glaring daggers at him.

"Well," Merico says. "I would care to disagree. You are easily shaped and molded. For example, I have distracted you for… oh, what, five or six minutes? You could have been helping your friend, but no… you listened to me. You spoke to me. And now he is dead."

A sharp pain shudders through me. I run over to Miro, checking his nonexistent heartbeat…

Rage, which has been bordering the edge for a long while now, finally overflows like a volcano shooting out molten rock and ash. I jump up, spin around, and screech an inhuman, wordless scream as I blindly lash out at Merico. I'm exactly like Master when he is angry… my cheeks go red hot and puffy, my eyes crinkle up, and my blood boils throughout my hot veins. I will kill anything and anyone who gets in my way.

Merico, unfortunately, is the first thing I see. I grab the lifeless body with my hands, attack his neck and rip off his rotting head. Xero's cold laughter cackles out of his mouth right before his head plops down onto the ground.

Once this is done, I spread my hands out, crunching my fingers in as I lower them slowly. As I do this, the walls of the room I'm in start to shrivel up and breakaway, causing water to flow in. Finally, I am free and swim up to the surface. It's a hard, long swim, but my anger gives me strength. It only grows as Xero's evil cackle continues to bounce around in my ears…

I break through the surface, water shattering like the glass of a mirror when ones fist has aimed at it. Once I swim out of the lake, I lie on the wet grass surrounding it and wipe my forehead, trying to clear my thoughts. Remembering what Merico said, I look at my cuff. One of the dots on it has disappeared. He was right. The only way to get out of here is to kill the others, with only two remaining.

_"I have ordered my children to kill your friends," _The Father's voice fills my head a cloud of mist. _"The question is: which one will you choose to save? Your master, or your apprentice? You must now release the guilt and free yourself by choosing."_

He is right.

The only way to save myself is to kill the others. But, whom shall I choose? Perhaps someone I could use. Miro… dead. No. Tito? No. He is too angry and vengeful. He will only get in the way. Aya? No. The child is too stupid and naïve. That only leaves Olee, who obviously is the perfect choice. Tito and Aya are hard figures to trust, but Olee on the other hand is loyal, smart and cunning. She will be the perfect match to help me get out of here. Though, I can hardly tell her what I am planning. Obviously, she will be against it. She is too much of a Jedi. That's the only flaw with her; she cannot let go of her beliefs. Isn't that what my vision told me in the volcano… when Innocence was telling me to give in and see the Dark Side? Innocence was right. I must do this, in order to survive. I'll avenge their deaths, too, by killing Xero. Killing them will not be in vain.

"Ahsoka!" the group of humans runs down the cliff and towards me.

"Are you okay?" Aya asks me, pulling a lock of blond hair out of her face. "Where's Miro?"

"Miro is dead," my voice sounds strangled and tinted, like dark glass.

"Dead…?" horror fills their faces at once. "Did he drown?" Aya asks.

I decide to not tell them about the zombie. Perhaps more will come and finish them off for me. "Of course he did," I glare at her. "How else would he have died?"

"No need for sarcasm," Olee says, standing back up straight. "While this is a great tragedy, we must keep moving on. Do you have the clue?" she holds up the key to show that they still have it.

"No," I say. "I let go of it. Sorry. But it would have been damaged anyway."

My voice still sounds like a tinted shard of dark glass: cold, deep, and sharp. "Are you alright?" Tito asks me, his voice soft and gentle.

"No," I say, and these words are true. Tears fill up my eyes, causing a lump in my throat to well up. Suddenly, I feel awful, like something terrible is happening to me. "No, no I'm not. I feel like… don't know… I just… something's happening to me."

"Do not worry," Aya puts her hand on my shoulder. "It must have been hard watching Miro… pass on… but we are here for you."

Not for long.

Olee sighs. "Well, we better start moving. Without that clue, we have no way of knowing where that key is."

Tito helps me up, and we all go silent, trying to think of a way to find the key. While they ponder this, I, however, try to come up with ways to kill off Tito and Aya while making it seem like it was an accident. Perhaps…

"Maybe we should split up," I say. "We'll cover more ground."

"I can't think of a better idea," Olee shrugs. "We'll meet up here. Ahsoka, Aya, you cover the north while Tito and I will cover the south. If we do not find anything, come back when it is noon and we'll try to the east and the west. Understood?"

We nod.

"Good," she says. "May the Force be with you."

Tito and Olee head off, while I start walking towards the north as the skinny, yellowed haired human trails after me. We head into the dark, wet jungle, using our senses and skills as we try to locate the key. At the same time, I try to find a good weapon to kill Aya. A tree branch? Possibly, however, one that would be heavy enough to kill her in one blow would be much too heavy for me to carry. Perhaps I could strangle her with a vine… or Force choke her… no. I will not Force choke her. I've seen Master do it before, and have had it done to me as well, and I must say, it is terrifying. I cannot do that to poor Aya. So… what else are my other options? A shard of rock could do the deed. But stabbing… ugh. So much blood. It would be impossible to make it look like an accident if I have blood all over my robes. Not to mention, human blood stinks really bad.

"Ahsoka!" Aya shouts. It comes from my far left. She continues to shout my name as I calmly walk over to her. I find her by a large, muddy ditch, crouching over it. The edges of her long blond hair rest upon the mud, streaking her locks with the brown stuff. Her eyes are full of excitement, literally sparkling with joy. She grins at me and points down into the ditch. "Look! The key!"

I peer down next to her. Sure enough, at the bottom of the brown stuff is a small, shining golden key. It's almost too good to be true.

"Why would the last key be so close to the first one?" I wonder aloud.

"Who cares?" she is close to laughter. "We found the key! We can get out of this hell hole!"

She extends her hand and uses the Force to grasp the muddy key. Almost instantly, the ground starts shaking.

"Kriff," she swears under her breath. "What did I do?"

She looks at me for directions, her wide eyes full of terror and tears. She opens her mouth as if she will say something, but I cut her off by saying, "Aya, give me the key." She hands it to me.

"Now what?" she whispers. Then her eyes go wide with absolute terror as she gazes into mine. A shrill, shattering scream escapes from her mouth like lava spewing from a volcano.

"You're eyes!" she screeches, running away from me. "They're golden! You're… you're a Sith!"

I feel a grin spread across me face. I no longer care about how evil and crazy I feel right now. In fact… it feels kind of good. As the ground continues to shake, I get up and start walking towards her.

"Get away from me!" she Force pushes me away, though only weakly from fear. Finally, the ground stops shaking and bursts open in the ditch. The corpses of the dead padawans crawl out and swing around widely, looking for a life to claim and join them. Yes! Thank the Force for perfect timing! Their dead eyes lock onto Aya, who has become paralyzed with fear, her back pressed up against a large tree trunk, her face pale and sweaty and as her chest heaves with gasping breaths. The group of dead children crawl up, rather quickly, I must add, and head for Aya. It is only then when she realizes to run. Her skinny legs start sprinting away, but are stopped by my hand. I pull her back towards the zombies with my, grinning all the way.

"Please!" she shrieks. "Please, please stop!"

I try to drown out her desperate pleas.

The dead children start attacking her, ripping at her flesh and biting down on her limps with rotted teeth. The sight is too gruesome for me. Her shrieks still fill my ears as I run as fast as I possibly can away from the children.

"Tito!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I'm surprised they won't shatter from the volume I'm at. "Olee! The children… they're attacking! Where are you?!"

I can hear the dead's footsteps frantically follow me. They have an odd rhythm, as if they were puppets being ordered about.

"Ahsoka?" I hear Olee and Tito cry. "Ahsoka? Where are you?"

The body of Chiva Creena leaps onto me, pulling me down to the floor. She growls and snorts at me like an animal, and what are most haunting are her dull eyes that stare down at me. They have no emotion; they are not connected onto mine. They simply stare blankly. This is the stare of a dead man. This is the stare I gave her. I realize that I am responsible for her death. In fact… in a way, I'm responsible for almost all of their deaths. The horrors of that fact sinks me back down as the other dead children surround me and start attacking. I gather up what energy is left in my body and leap out of their huddle, landing onto a stable tree limp. Then, I glide through the forest like a bird, jumping from tree to tree.

The padawans, while dead, are not stupid. They follow me, jumping up at amazing heights as if their corpses still can use the Force. As I leap from one tree to another, the body of Violet Duer jumps up and grasp my ankle, pulling me down. I hit my head on the trunk of a tree on the way down, causing pain to flow throughout my skull and stars to dance around my eyes. Violet's sharp nails dig deep into my flesh, and with my head throbbing like this it's almost impossible for me to think of doing anything except scream.

Just as Violet raises her rotting hand up in the air to punch me, Tito's boots fly onto her face, knocking her head off. He stands on top of her body, looking down at me, about to say something but silenced once he sees my eyes.

I grab his hand and pull him down, pushing him towards the dead people. Leaping up, I run towards a nearby Olee, holding out the key. When I come closer to her, the key in her hand and the one in mine start glowing, turning burning hot in both of our hands. Twenty yards away, two mystical portals combust out of thin air and flame open. Swirls of dark energy mark where out world ends and where the next one begins. This must be how we will escape.

"Ahsoka…" Olee whispers in hushed horror as she gazes at me. I must look like a Sith now, one with golden eyes, dark circles under my eyes and pale skin that shows off pulsing veins.

"Go, quickly!" I scream at her, pointing towards the portals. Looking back, I see that Tito has escaped from the grasp of the dead children and is running towards our direction. "No!" I scream at him. "You cannot escape!"

Instinctively, I lunge at him. I catch him by surprise; he does not have any time to react. He falls to the ground underneath me as I lay on top of him, pounding onto his head with my heavy fists. His eyes roll back and groans. Olee's screams of terror are blocked out by the growls of the approaching dead. I leap off of him and sprint towards the portals once the zombies are close enough.

"You killed him," Olee watches Tito's flesh get torn apart by the dead children. "Why would you kill him?"

"Go!" I yell, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along with me. "This is our last chance!" The portals have started closing.

As we run, the zombies stop attacking Tito, who has finally stopped screaming, and sprint after us. They chant an unearthly, low cry that sounds a lot like Xero's name.

I've never felt such fear. My heart feels as if it will leap right of my chest at any moment now, my lungs are gasping so hard it feels like they will start bleeding soon, and sweat drips down into my eyes, stinging them and blocking my vision. But for some reason… it feels… _good._

I let go of Olee's hand as we approach the portals. I leap inside just as it starts to disappear, and suddenly, I'm in my old room, where I was kept while the other padawans were alive.

I collapse onto the ground, trying to catch my breath. I faintly realize that a lone figure is waiting for me.

"Having fun?" he asks me. I know that voice.

"Sure," I say to Xero, sitting on my knees. It's the respectful thing to do, anyway.

"I thought you would give up," I can almost hear him grin.

"I am a Jedi," I say, quoting myself from when I was on Mortis. "We don't give up easily."

He chuckles.

"Wonderful," he says. "Just wonderful. But, really, would your master be proud?"

"I am no longer under his service," I say, my voice hollow. I stare at the ground, not regretting any of the words I am about to utter. "I am now under your service."

_"Seeds of the Dark Side planted by your master…" _I hear my vision repeat in my head. _"Can you feel it?"_

Yes, I do.

And it feels good.

"You're mine now," Xero grins at me, his eyes shining like embers.


End file.
